Official Site of the 2008 Australian Olympic Team: Athletes: The Team: Daniel Kelly

DANIEL KELLY

QUIRKY STUFF
Greatest band	U2
Dream car	Mini Cooper
Finest sportsperson	Jeon - Judo (KOR)
Best sport team	Hawthorn - Australian Rules Football
Star sign	Scorpio
I began this sport . . .	when I was 7 years old because my dad did it
Participation in other sports	Wrestling representative at 2002 Commonwealth Games at Manchester
Famous relative	Maria Pekli (partner) - Olympic Judo athlete
When I am not training/competing I am . . .	spending time with my family
Perfect holiday	A family trip to Hungary
Childhood ambition	To compete in an Olympic Games
Proudest Moment	the birth of my child
Favourite Food	Halze Hungarian Fish Soup
Perfect holiday	A family trip to Hungary
Greatest band	U2
Dream car	Mini Cooper
Finest sportsperson	Jeon - Judo (KOR)
Best sport team	Hawthorn - Australian Rules Football
Star sign	Scorpio
I began this sport . . .	when I was 7 years old because my dad did it
Participation in other sports	Wrestling representative at 2002 Commonwealth Games at Manchester
Famous relative	Maria Pekli (partner) - Olympic Judo athlete
When I am not training/competing I am . . .	spending time with my family

Event	81 - 90kg (middleweight) - Men
Position	Men's 81 - 90kg
Date of Birth	31 Oct 1977
Age at start of Games	30
Born	Melbourne, VIC
Lives	Melbourne, VIC
Height	183cm
Weight	90kg

Club	Victorian Judo Association, VIC
Coach(es)	Self-coached
Olympic Games	2000 Sydney 2004 Athens
Olympic Results	2000 Sydney: 9th 2004 Athens: 7th

Education

Secondary Education: Diamond Valley Secondary College, VIC

Tertiary Education: Studying part-time a Bachelor of Business (Finance); La Trobe University, VIC

Career Highlights

Finishing seventh at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games

Finishing ninth at the Sydney Olympics in 2000

Recent Performances

1st (U90kg) - 2008 Oceania Championships (Christchurch, NZ)

7th (U90kg) - 2007 Korean Open (Jeju, Korea)

2nd (U90kg) - 2007 Oceania World Cup (Perth, Australia)

1st round (U90kg) - 2007 World Championships (Rio De Janeiro, Brazil)

2nd (U90kg) - 2007 Pacific Rim Championships (Macau, China)

5th (U90kg) - 2007 Swiss Open (Lausanne, Switzerland)

Interesting Facts

Daniel followed his dad, an Australian Judo National Championship Medallist, into the sport at the age of seven. He started competing the following year and attended his first Nationals at the age of 13.

In 1994 he was selected for his first Junior National Team, competed at the Junior World Championships in 1996 and by the following year was selected on the senior national team.

Self coached and with more than eleven years on the senior team Daniel has claimed six senior national titles, two junior titles and heads to his third Olympic Games in Beijing.

Following the 2000 Olympic Games Daniel started wrestling training and competing in both disciplines. In 2002 Daniel was National and Oceania champion in both sports and competed in wrestling at the 2002 Commonwealth Games after which he returned to Judo full time.

Daniel was dogged with injury in 2005/2006. Finishing 7th at the Athens Olympic Games he sustained an injury whilst training in the Olympic Village requiring sugery in March 2005 taking more than 3 months before he was back training. Daniel underwent surgery again in 2006 as a result of an second injury in training against a visiting Japanese team and was out for another six months in rehabilitation.

Winning his 6th National title in 2007 he followed it with another Oceania title in 2008.

Daniel's partner is team mate Maria Pekli.