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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Grant Hayden Kenny |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Born | (1963-06-14) 14 June 1963 (age 61) Maryborough, Queensland, Australia |
| Sport | |
| Country | Australia |
| Sport | Canoe sprint, Ironman surf lifesaving |
Medal record | |
Grant Hayden Kenny OAM (born 14 June 1963) is an Australian former Ironman, surf lifesaver and canoeist.
Kenny made headlines in 1980 when, as a 16-year-old, he won both the Australian Junior and Open Iron Man Championship on the same day. Kenny then won the Australian Open Ironman Title for the following three years. He also became a household name in Australia due to his sponsorship deals with Kelloggs Nutri-Grain, and appeared in television commercials for the cereal.
After turning his attention to kayaks in the mid-1980s, Kenny later became an important figure in creating the Uncle Toby's Super Series, which was a ground-breaking professional Iron Man circuit that lasted for 12 years. Kenny was also a competitor in the first two seasons, but by 1989 his other interests had taken away the necessary time to train for such a demanding sport and his results were never anything like his domination during his late teens.
In kayaks, Kenny competed in two Summer Olympics. He won a bronze medal in the K-2 1000 m event with Barry KellyatLos Angelesin1984.
Kenny is a recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia, which he received in 1986 for his service to sport.[1] He has also been awarded the Australian Sports Medal in 2000,[2] and the Centenary Medal in 2001,[3] both for his services to the sporting and business world. He was also inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1996.[4]
Kenny was married to the Australian Commonwealth swimming champion Lisa Curry in 1986. They had three children, (Jaimi Lee, Morgan and Jett) , with their eldest child dying on 14 September 2020 at age 33, following a long illness,[5] Kenny and his former wife co-own the Curry Kenny Aviation Group, which in 2009 owned approximately 60 aircraft.
On 17 December 2012, it was reported that he and comedian Fifi Box were expecting a child. This was later confirmed, and on 5 April 2013 Beatrix 'Trixie' Belle Box was born.[6][7]
