Connect with us

Athletics

Ireland’s Olympic 1500m champion Delany dies aged 91

Irish athletics great Ronnie Delany, who won the 1500 metres Olympic title in Melbourne in 1956, has died aged 91 after a short illness.

He was just 21 when he won gold, setting a then Olympic record of 3min 41.2sec.

Delany went on to win bronze in the 1958 European Championships.

But instead of defending his 1500m title at the 1960 Olympics, he competed in the 800m, went out in the quarter-final round and retired the following year.

Ireland did not win another Olympic gold until boxer Michael Carruth in 1992.

“Throughout his brief athletic career, Ronnie inspired young Irish runners to follow their dreams,” Ireland’s sports minister Patrick O’Donovan said in tribute.

“His remarkable victory in Australia marked the first gold medal for Ireland in two decades… and would mark a high point for Irish sport until 1992 in Barcelona.”

Author

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

World Cup News

More in Athletics