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Craig Kinsley

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Craig Kinsley
Personal information
NationalityUnited States
Born(1989-01-19)January 19, 1989(age 35)
Height6 ft 1.5 in (1.867 m)[1]
Weight208 lb (94 kg)[1]
WebsiteCraigKinsleyJavelin.com
Sport
SportTrack and field
EventJavelin throw
College teamBrown Bears
Coached byMichelle Eisenreich
Achievements and titles
PersonalbestJavelin:82.31m

Craig Kinsley(born January 19, 1989) is a retiredAmericantrack and fieldathlete and 2012 Olympian who competed in thejavelin throw,and is now an assistant coach ofBrown Universitytrack and field. In 2010, he won the javelin at theNCAA Outdoor Championshipsand was named as anAcademic All-Americanby theUSATFCCCA.He also placed third at theUS National Championshipsthat year. In 2012, he placed third at the Olympic Trials and qualified to represent theUnited States at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Early life

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Craig Kinsley was born January 19, 1989, to parents Tom and Andrea.[1][2]He began competing intrack and fieldafter a broken hand prevented him from playing baseball his junior year of high school.[3]At first, he ran thehurdlesand did thehigh jump.After his hand had healed sufficiently, he added thejavelin,throwing with a cast on his hand.[3]

During high school, Kinsley was named all-state in thedecathlon,high jump, and javelin throw.[1]He graduated fromFairfield College Preparatory Schoolin 2007 and was accepted intoBrown Universitywhere he studiedgeologyandeconomics.[2]

Athletic career

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At Brown, Kinsley competed in both the high jump and javelin throw.[1]He was a four-timeIvy LeagueChampion and three-timeAll-American.He finished third in the javelin at the 2009NCAA Outdoor Championships.In 2010, Kinsley won the NCAA title in javelin. His mark of 76.29 metres (250.3 ft) was more than eight feet better than the second-place finisher.[1]In so doing, Kinsley became just the third individual track and field champion in the school's history.[4]That same year, he finished third at theNational Championshipswith a distance of 78.10 metres (256.2 ft). Additionally, he was named an AcademicAll-Americanand Northeast Region Field Athlete of the Year by theUSATFCCCA.[1]

Kinsley was injured in 2011 and unable to defend his title as a result.[2]After graduating that spring with degrees in geology and economics, he decided to commit himself solely to the javelin and put everything else on hold.[2]He found the cheapest apartment he could and focused his economic resources on training needs.[4]He continued to train at the Brown facilities inProvidence, Rhode Island,where he was a volunteer assistant coach.[3][5]

At the June2012 Olympic Trials,Kinsley finished third with a distance of 79.92 metres (262.2 ft).[1]Earlier that month, he achieved theOlympic "A" Standardwith a new personal best of 82.31 metres (270.0 ft).[1]The distance made him eligible for the2012 Summer Olympicsand ranked him in the top 20 worldwide for the first time in his career.[2]"For about 90 percent of the victory lap, I was bawling in front of 30,000 people," Kinsley said of making the Olympic team. "I don't know if I can think of a person who'd be more proud to wear red, white and blue."[4]

The 2012 Olympics was Kinsley's first international competition.[2]"I'm a total nobody on the international scene, which is awesome because I go in with very little pressure," he remarked. "I go in healthy and throwing the best I've ever thrown. I feel I have some big throws, so I'm ready to surprise people."[2]On August 8, 2012, Kinsley made his Olympic debut in the Qualification round of the Men's Javelin Throw. On his third and final throw of the day he was marked at 78.18 meters, placing him 10th in Group B and 23rd overall. Although the throw was the longest of any American, Kinsley did not advance to the next round of the competition.[6]He was joined in London by his parents, girlfriend, coach, and two old friends.[2]

Kinsley was coached by Michelle Eisenreich and sponsored byUS Athletic Trust.[3]He describes throwing the javelin as "an incredibly lonely pursuit... You're training for hours, by yourself. You're putting your body through a lot of stress... It takes a lot to dedication to do something nobody thinks is cool unless you make the Olympic team."[2]

Coaching career

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Kinsley returned to his alma materBrown Universityto coach the throwing events in 2016. Since then, his athletes have accumulated many notable accolades: three conference champions, nine top-six finishers in the conference championships, a new school record holder in the hammer throw and the weight throw, and seven additions/improvements in the top 10 all time school records. He is currently working to build an elite javelin squad and aspires to produce an NCAA champion and an Olympic qualifying athlete in the near future.

Personal life

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Kinsley currently resides inCranston, Rhode Island.[1]He is happily married to photographer Kat Carney.

Seasonal bests by year

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  • 2009 - 73.62
  • 2010 - 78.10
  • 2011 - 76.33
  • 2012 -82.31
  • 2013 - 74.75
  • 2014 - 81.35
  • 2015 - 77.85

Competition record

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Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing theUnited States
2014 Pan American Sports Festival Ciudad de México,México 2nd Javelin 78.76mA

References

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  1. ^abcdefghij"Athlete Bios: Craig Kinsley".USA Track & Field.RetrievedJuly 16,2012.
  2. ^abcdefghiMike Cardillo (July 16, 2012)."Years of training have Olympian Kinsley 'ready to surprise people'".Connecticut Post.RetrievedJuly 16,2012.
  3. ^abcdCraig Kinsley."Biography".Archived fromthe originalon August 15, 2012.RetrievedJuly 16,2012.
  4. ^abcPaul Devlin (July 2, 2012)."Connecticut's Own Olympian: Craig Kinsley Goes For the Gold".Patch.com.RetrievedJuly 16,2012.
  5. ^"Craig Kinsley".Brown Bears. Archived fromthe originalon July 15, 2012.RetrievedJuly 16,2012.
  6. ^"Men's Javelin Throw - Olympic Athletics | London 2012".Archived fromthe originalon 2013-01-28.Retrieved2012-08-08.
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