Joseph Michael Lynch (22 April 1878 – 10 March 1952) was an Australianlong-distance runner. Lynch was born in 1878 in Darlington, Sydney. He was the youngest son of Irish immigrants John Lynch and Mary Hassett.[1]
He trained with the East Sydney Athletics Club and competed in club, state, and national events; his best national performance was coming third in the one-mile race in the 1909–10 season.[2] He competed forAustralasia in the1908 Summer Olympics inLondon.[3]This team also included Australian legends such as Snowy Baker.
At the1908 Summer Olympics, Lynch competed in three events, in the1500 metres event, he finished fifth in his heat and only the winners of the heats qualified for the final,[4] he also competed in theMarathon race and the5 miles competition but didn't finish either race, he retired from the Marathon after five miles,[5][6] he was due to participate in the800 metres but in the end he didn't compete in it.[7]
He enlisted in the AIF Expeditionary Force on 4 January 1915.[8] He served at Gallipoli, Flanders and the Somme. He was wounded at the Somme on 22 July 1916 and evacuated to Britain. In November 1916, he returned to Australia and, in March 1917, was discharged. He never really returned to athletics and carried on living a simple life in Sydney, Australia.[9]
Lynch was also an actor, which saw him perform in Australia, the United States, and London.[9]
He died in a traffic accident inSydney, Australia.[10]
^"Joseph Lynch (NSW)".athhistory.sportstg.com. Australian Athletics Historical Results. Archived fromthe original on 7 October 2017. Retrieved7 October 2017.
^"Australia at the games".athhistory.sportstg.com. Australian Athletics Historical Results.Archived from the original on 7 October 2017. Retrieved7 October 2017.
Australia