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Diane Jones-Konihowski

Personal information
Birth name	Diane Jones
Nationality	Canadian
Born	(1951-03-07) March 7, 1951 (age 73) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Sport
Country	Canada
Sport	Women's pentathlon
Retired	1983
Medal record Women's Athletics Representing  Canada Commonwealth Games 1978 Edmonton Pentathlon Pan American Games 1975 Mexico City Pentathlon 1979 San Juan Pentathlon Universiade 1973 Moscow Pentathlon

Diane Jones-Konihowski, CM (born March 7, 1951) 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.

Biography

Jones-Konihowski was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and raised in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She graduated from the College of Education at the University of Saskatchewan. 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 she took the bronze medal at the World Student Games in Moscow in 1973; and the 1976 Summer Olympics, placing sixth. 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. 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. Two weeks after the Moscow Olympics, Diane competed in the pentathlon in Germany; she won the gold beating all the Olympic Medallist. She retired from competition in 1983. 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. 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.

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.

References

1. ^ Barris, Ted. "Jones Konihowski, Diane". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica-Dominion Institute. Archived from the original on 2010-02-10. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
2. "Wall of Honour". www.usask.ca. University of Saskatchewan. Archived from the original on 2011-06-10. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
3. Gilbert, Doug (1972-09-12). "Canada needs much to catch up". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
4. Gilbert, Doug (1976-07-27). "Canadian athletes today? Gloom, despair, shock, etc". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
5. Ormsby, Mary (2007-08-11). "Bucking 1980 boycott drew death threats". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
6. Craats, Rennay (2000). The 1970s. Canada Through the Decades Series. Weigl Educational Publishers Limited. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-896990-42-2. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
7. Kerry Gillespie (16 August 2013). "Canadian athletes remember, sadly, 1980 Olympic boycott". Toronto Star.
8. Herzog, Lawrence (2005-10-25). "Edmontons track and field tradition (part 2)". Edmonton Real Estate Weekly. Archived from the original on 2012-03-08. Retrieved 10 December 2009.
9. Order of Canada citation
10. "Canada Sports Hall of Fame | Hall of Famers Search". www.sportshall.ca. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
11. "Diane Jones-Konihowski Joins Premiere Executive Suites" (PDF). premieresuites.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-15. Retrieved 2014-10-10.

External links

• Historica profile of Diane Jones Konihowski (copy archived June 2011)
• University of Saskatchewan citation

• 1951 births
• Living people
• Athletes (track and field) at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games
• Athletes (track and field) at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games
• Athletes (track and field) at the 1978 Commonwealth Games
• Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics
• Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics
• Athletes (track and field) at the 1975 Pan American Games
• Athletes (track and field) at the 1979 Pan American Games
• Olympic track and field athletes for Canada
• Members of the Order of Canada
• Canadian pentathletes
• Saskatchewan Huskies players
• Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Canada
• Track and field athletes from Calgary
• Track and field athletes from Vancouver
• Track and field athletes from Saskatoon
• Pan American Games gold medalists for Canada
• Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics
• Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field)
• Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field)
• FISU World University Games bronze medalists for Canada
• Medalists at the 1973 Summer Universiade
• Medalists at the 1975 Pan American Games
• Medalists at the 1979 Pan American Games
• Medallists at the 1978 Commonwealth Games
• Canadian Track and Field Championships winners
• New Zealand Athletics Championships winners