In the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris, Monaco commemorated the fact that John Brendan (known as Jack) Kelly was crowned Olympic champion for the third time in the French capital a century ago. Jack Kelly is the grandfather of Prince Albert and was considered one of the greatest sports heroes of the United States in his time. He won his first two titles in Antwerp, in the single sculls and with his cousin Paul Costello in the coxless pair.
Princess Grace’s father was seen as an example of the migrants who made ‘the American dream’ come true. His parents were forced to travel from impoverished Ireland to the United States, and Jack grew up in a family of ten children. He had to work hard but stood out because of his height (1.
89m). He could afford to row from the age of eighteen and won 126 races. In the meantime, he also worked hard to build a business empire, first as a bricklayer, then as the owner of a brick factory, and finally as a property developer—a real self-made man.
In 1920, at the age of 31, Kelly went to Europe to compete in the Olympics. Before this event, he wanted to compete in the annual Royal Henley Regatta. However, his registration was refused because he earned his living ‘with his hands.
’ Shortly afterward, he took revenge on the rowing course in Antwerp and defeated the English favorite Jack Beresford in the battle for Olympic gold. King George V, who was present, looked on, unimpressed. Kelly took off his cap to the king and shouted, “With a mason’s greetings.
” Within an hour, he took part in another competition with Paul Costello, in which the Americans again snatched the gold from the European participants. Kelly earned two gold medals in one day and, above all, eternal fame. Four years later, Kelly and his cousin repeated their success, becoming the first three-time Olympic champions in rowing.
President Roosevelt later called him “one of the most beautiful men I have met in my life.” At 35, Kelly began to focus mainly on his family. He had one son, Jack, who would be called Kell and won a bronze medal at the Melbourne Olympics.
Father and son often trained on the Schuylkill River, the river near Philadelphia. As a tribute to the Olympic achievements of Princess Grace’s father and brother, a flat in Monte Carlo was named after this river. “I didn’t really know my grandfather on my mother’s side because I was two when he died, but of course, I heard a lot about him,” Prince Albert said in an interview with L’Equipe Magazine last week.
“He was a cheerful, burly man, but above all, a real doer and a winner.”.
