Paul James Kingsman (born 15 June 1967) is a

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

and Olympic medalist from New Zealand. He participated at the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

, winning a bronze medal in 200 metre backstroke. He also competed at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...

Background

The 21-year-old went into the 1988 Olympic Games the 20th fastest backstroker in the world over 200m. He qualified for the final and raced in lane one. Kingsman's time earned him a bronze medal in the final few strokes. His time of 2:00.48, which set a new Commonwealth record, is currently the longest standing national record in New Zealand swimming at 20 years (broken in 2008 by Kent Basset). Kingsman was New Zealand's first male Olympic medalist in an individual swimming event. Over his swimming career, in addition to his Olympic medal, Kingsman also earned four Commonwealth Games medals and twelve New Zealand national senior titles. Kingsman was trained during his entire New Zealand career by coach Hilton Brown. When he was 15, he qualified for the 1982 Commonwealth Games team, making the 200m final at Brisbane, Queensland. At the time, he was the youngest Kiwi to ever compete in the Commonwealth Games. At age 17, he joined

Gary Hurring Gary Norman Hurring (born 10 October 1961 in Auckland) is a former swimmer from New Zealand, who won the gold medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in the men's 200 metres backstroke. He gained silver in the same event at the 1978 World Aquatics ...

in representing New Zealand at the 1984 Summer Olympics swimming backstroke, and he finished tenth in the 100m. By the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Kingsman's performances bettered enough to earn him two silver medals, in the 100m and 200m backstroke. That year, he also earned a scholarship to the University of California, Berkeley, where his swimming developed a sharply competitive edge under the tutelage of coach Nort Thornton. Kingsman closed his career by taking a bronze and a silver in the 1990 Commonwealth Games in his home town of Auckland, New Zealand. He was always an exceedingly popular competitor, and his farewell at those Games in Auckland was an emotional occasion. In the 1990 Queen's Birthday Honours, Kingsman was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, for services to swimming. On retiring from swimming, Kingsman took up a position as New Zealand national sales and marketing manager for

Speedo Speedo International Limited is a distributor of swimwear and swim-related accessories based in Nottingham, England, known for its swim briefs. The company has roots in Australia but is no longer based there. Founded in Sydney in 1914 by A ...

sportswear. He then set up and operated his own swim school in Auckland. In 2001, he moved to the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area G ...

with his wife and son and currently lives in

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the county seat, seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenvil ...

, where Kingsman is a financial advisor and also a professional motivational speaker and executive coach to the financial services industry.

References

External links

PaulKingsman.com
Paul Kingsman's speaking and executive coaching website {{DEFAULTSORT:Kingsman, Paul 1967 births Living people New Zealand male swimmers Olympic swimmers of New Zealand Olympic bronze medalists for New Zealand Swimmers at the 1984 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1988 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists in swimming New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire Commonwealth Games silver medallists for New Zealand Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for New Zealand Swimmers at the 1982 Commonwealth Games Swimmers at the 1986 Commonwealth Games Swimmers at the 1990 Commonwealth Games University of California, Berkeley alumni Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming Swimmers from Auckland

Background

See also

References

External links