Jack Monaghan

John Monaghan (6 August 1921 – 3 July 2022) was a New Zealand amateur wrestler. He represented his country at the 1950 British Empire Games and the 1954 World Wrestling Championships, and won 10 national wrestling titles.

Early life Monaghan was born in Mataura on 6 August 1921, the son of Grace and Richard Monaghan, and grew up in the district. After leaving school, he worked as a delivery boy for a fish and chip shop, as a shepherd, and as a fireman for New Zealand Railways (NZR). The couple went on to have four children. In his first bout, he was defeated by the Australian wrestler, Jack Little, 0 bad points to 3, while in his second match he was beaten by a fall by Henry Hudson, the eventual gold medallist, from Canada.

Monaghan was selected to represent New Zealand in the middleweight division at the 1954 World Wrestling Championships in Tokyo. He lost his opening two bouts and was eliminated from the tournament. Monaghan was also one of five wrestlers nominated by the Dominion Wrestling Union for the New Zealand team to compete at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, but his was not one of the two nominations that was accepted by the New Zealand Olympic and British Empire Games Association. However, the New Zealand and British Empire Games Association did not include any wrestlers in the New Zealand team.

Later life After the war, Monaghan worked as a linesman for the Post and Telegraph Department, before an apprenticeship as a builder.