Paul Vincent Costello (December 27, 1894 – April 17, 1986) was an American triple

Olympic gold medal Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

winner in

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically a ...

. He was the first rower to win a gold medal in the same event,

double scull A double scull, also abbreviated as a 2x, is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two persons who propel the boat by sculling with two oars each, one in each hand. Racing boats (often called "shells") ar ...

s, at three consecutive Olympics. He also won numerous national titles in both the single and double scull in the 1920s. Costello won the double sculls race with his cousin John B. Kelly Sr., also known as Jack Kelly at the

1920 Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (; ; ), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (; ; ) and commonly known as Antwerp 1920 (; Dutch language, Dutch and German language, German: ''Antwerpen 1920''), were an international multi-sport event held i ...

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, Belgium, and the 1924 Olympics in

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, France. Costello repeated his winning ways at the 1928 Olympics in

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, Netherlands, with new partner Charles McIlvaine. Historically, Costello has been overshadowed somewhat by Kelly who was also a triple Olympic gold medalist, having won both the single and double scull at the 1920 games, along with the double sculls at the 1924 games. Kelly gained additional fame as the father of both

Grace Kelly Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982), also known as Grace of Monaco, was an American actress and Princess of Monaco as the wife of Prince Rainier III from their marriage on April 18, 1956, until her death in 1982. ...

, actress and Princess of

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, and John B. Kelly Jr., an accomplished oarsman in his own right. Costello and Kelly both rowed for the Vesper Boat Club of Philadelphia.

Achievements and awards

* Gold Medal, Double Scull, 1920 Olympic Games * Gold Medal, Double Scull, 1924 Olympic Games * Gold Medal, Double Scull, 1928 Olympic Games * Member, United States Rowing Hall of Fame, Double Scull, (elected 1956)

References

Sources

*
Hickok Sports
* Olympic gold medalists for the United States in rowing 1894 births 1986 deaths American male rowers Rowers from Philadelphia Medalists at the 1928 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1924 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1920 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1920 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1924 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1928 Summer Olympics 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-rowing-Olympic-medalist-stub