Mr John Cuneo OAM
Published Sun 01 Jan 2017
| SPORT | Yachting |
| YEAR INDUCTED | 2009 - Athlete Member |
John Cuneo was born in 1928 and was the first Queenslander to win an Olympic Gold Medal in Yachting. He competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, where he received a gold medal in the dragon class, together with crew members Thomas Anderson and John Shaw.
John won his first Queensland championship in the Trainee Dinghies in 1947. He was National Champion in the 12 square metre Sharpie Class in 1956, 58 and 60 and in the Lightweight Sharpie class in years 1961, 62, 64 and 65.
In 1966 he moved into the International 505 class to compete in the World series in Adelaide, winning the Australian Championship which preceded the World series and finished 3rd in the Worlds.
Moving into the International Dragon class, he won the Australian Championship in 1967 -68, and was selected for the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico, finishing 5th.
At the Olympic Games in Germany in 1972, he dominated the Dragon class, winning Gold, 28 points ahead of the East German second place getter.
His contribution to the administration of the sport and the assistance given to his fellow future yachtspersons has been outstanding.
