| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Diane Jones |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Born | March 7, 1951 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Sport | |
| Country | Canada |
| Sport | Women's pentathlon |
| Retired | 1983 |
Medal record | |
Diane Jones-Konihowski, CM (born March 7, 1951) [1] is a former Canadian pentathlete who was the 1978 Commonwealth Champion and won two gold medals at two Pan-American Games, as well as representing Canada at two Summer Olympics.
Jones-Konihowski was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, [1] and raised in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She graduated from the College of Education at the University of Saskatchewan. [2] Diane took her first international medal at the 1969 Pacific Conference Games, a bronze in the high jump. She competed for Canada at the 1972 Summer Olympics, placing tenth [3] she took the bronze medal at the World Student Games in Moscow in 1973; and the 1976 Summer Olympics, placing sixth. [4] Considered to be a medal contender for the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, a third appearance at the Olympics failed to materialize as Canada was one of the countries that chose to boycott the games due to the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan. Although Jones-Konihowski considered competing as an individual, she ultimately decided against it. [5] She won a gold medal in the pentathlon at the 1975 and 1979 Pan Am Games and 1978 Commonwealth Games. She was also the winner of the pentathlon at the Liberty Bell Classic (alternate Olympic competition) in 1980. [6] Two weeks after the Moscow Olympics, Diane competed in the pentathlon in Germany; she won the gold beating all the Olympic Medallist. [7] She retired from competition in 1983. [8] She was Chef de Mission of the 2000 Canadian Olympic Team in Sydney, Australia.
In 1978, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada. [9] She was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1980, the Canadian Olympic Sports Hall of Fame in 1996, and the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 2002. She was also awarded the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award and the Velma Springstead Trophy. In 2002, she was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Saskatchewan. In 2020/21, she was awarded the Order of Sport, marking her induction into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. [10]
In 1977, she married John Konihowski, a professional football player for the Edmonton Eskimos and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
She lives in Calgary, Alberta, where she is the President and partner of Premiere Executive Suites. In 2005, she was elected to the board of directors of the Canadian Olympic Committee. [11]
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad and officially branded as Montreal 1976, were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam on May 12, 1970, over the bids of Moscow and Los Angeles. It was the first and, so far, only Summer Olympic Games to be held in Canada. Toronto hosted the 1976 Summer Paralympics the same year as the Montreal Olympics, which still remains the only Summer Paralympics to be held in Canada. Calgary and Vancouver later hosted the Winter Olympic Games in 1988 and 2010, respectively.
The 1984 Summer Olympics were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the second time that Los Angeles had hosted the Games, the first being in 1932. California was the home state of the incumbent U.S. President Ronald Reagan, who officially opened the Games. These were the first Summer Olympic Games under the IOC presidency of Juan Antonio Samaranch.
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad and officially branded as Moscow 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1980 in Moscow, Soviet Union, in present-day Russia. The games were the first to be staged in an Eastern Bloc country, as well as the first Olympic Games and only Summer Olympics to be held in a Slavic language-speaking country. They were also the only Summer Olympic Games to be held in a socialist country until the 2008 Summer Olympics held in China. These were the final Olympic Games under the IOC Presidency of Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin before he was succeeded by Juan Antonio Samaranch shortly afterwards.
Ambrose "Rowdy" Gaines IV is an American former competitive swimmer, U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame member, three-time Olympic gold medalist, and member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame. He is referred to as "The Voice of Swimming", has covered swimming at the Olympic Games since 1992 in Barcelona and is currently a swimming analyst for television network NBC.
Barthold Wayne Conner is a retired American Olympic gymnast. He was a member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team and won two gold medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics. He owns and operates the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy in Norman, Oklahoma, along with his wife, Romanian Olympic gold medalist Nadia Comăneci. In addition, both Comăneci and Conner are highly involved with the Special Olympics.
Tracey Lee Wickham is an Australian former middle distance swimmer. Wickham was the World Champion for the 400 m and 800 m freestyle in 1978, and won gold in both events at the 1978 and 1982 Commonwealth Games. She is a former world record holder for the 400 m, 800 m and 1500 m freestyle. Despite her success in the pool, Wickham has battled hardship and personal tragedy throughout her life.
Elfi Schlegel is a sportscaster for NBC Sports and a former college and national champion gymnast from Canada. She is generally regarded as a top 50 Canadian gymnast of all time, and one of the best of the late 1970s alongside Monica Goermann and the late Sherry Hawco.
John David Fitzgerald is an American modern pentathlete who represented the United States at the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics. He also qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team but was not able to compete due to the U.S. Olympic Committee's boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia. He was one of 461 athletes to receive a Congressional Gold Medal many years later.
Benita Fitzgerald Mosley is a retired American athlete, who mainly competed in the women's 100 metres hurdles event. Currently, Benita is a CEO of the company Multiplying Good with their mission being "to inspire greatness through service to others."
Canada has sent athletes to every Winter Olympic Games and every Summer Olympic Games since its debut at the 1900 games with the exception of the 1980 Summer Olympics, which it boycotted along with the USA and other countries. Canada has won at least one medal at every Olympics in which it has competed. The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) is the National Olympic Committee for Canada.
Cynthia Lee Woodhead, commonly known by her family nickname "Sippy", is an American former competition swimmer, world champion, Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder. She won three gold medals at the 1978 World Championships, when she was only 14 years old, and set seven world records during her career.
Phyllis Delma Dewar, also known by her married name Phyllis Lowery, was a Canadian competition swimmer and freestyle specialist. At the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, she was a member of the Canadian relay team that finished fourth in the women's 4×100-metre freestyle relay. In the 100-metre freestyle, she advanced to the semifinals of the event before being eliminated.
Cindy Jo Noble is an American basketball player who competed for the United States in the 1984 Summer Olympics. In the 1984 Summer Olympics the U.S. women's basketball team won a gold medal. Noble was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000.
Robert Daniel Steadward, is a Canadian retired sports administrator, professor, sports scientist, and author. Steadward helped organize the first Canadian wheelchair sport national championships in 1968, and later coached Canada in wheelchair basketball at the Summer Paralympics. He became a professor at the University of Alberta in 1971, later served as chairman of the Department of Athletics, and published more than 150 papers about disability sport. He was the founding president of the Alberta Wheelchair Sports Association in 1971, founded the Research and Training Centre for Athletes with Disabilities in 1978, served as president of the Canadian Paralympic Committee from 1984 to 1990, and later became a member of the Canadian Olympic Committee.
Elaine Gayle Cheris is an American Olympic foil and épée fencer.
Lisa Marie Forrest is an Australian Commonwealth Games dual gold medalist in swimming. After retiring from competitive swimming she was a sports commentator, actor, reporter, writer, and media personality. Forrest appeared on the television talk show Beauty and the Beast and numerous other television shows, and is a 'celebrity' speaker.
Philip Einar Olsen was a Canadian athlete, a javelin thrower who competed in the finals in the 1976 Summer Olympics and won a gold medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games. One of the most decorated track and field athletes in Canada, Olsen still holds numerous provincial and national records in the javelin.
James Hartung is a retired American gymnast. He was a member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team and won a gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics.
John Konihowski is a former Canadian Football League (CFL) wide receiver who played nine seasons for the Edmonton Eskimos and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He was a part of four Grey Cup championships with the Eskimos. Konihowski played college football at Brigham Young University and at the University of Saskatchewan, where he was also a track star. He is married to former Canadian pentathlete Diane Jones-Konihowski.
Karen C. Page is a former pentathlete from New Zealand.
| Pentathlon | |
|---|---|
| Heptathlon |
|
| Pentathlon (1970–1978) |
|
|---|---|
| Heptathlon (1982–present) |
|
