- Ron Delany
Ronald Michael Delaney (born 6 March 1935), better known as Ron or Ronnie is a former Irish athlete, who specialised in middle distance running.
Born in
Arklow , Delaney moved with his family toDublin when he was 6. His father had got a job in Jacobs Biscuit Factory and there Delaney went toCatholic University School .Delaney studied in the United States at
Villanova University , where he was coached by the well-known track coach Jumbo Elliott. His first achievement of note was reaching the final of the 800m at the 1954 European Championships inBerne .In 1956, he became the seventh runner to join the club of
Four-minute mile rs, but nonetheless struggled to make the Irish team for the1956 Summer Olympics held inMelbourne .Delaney qualified for the Olympic 1500 m final, in which home runner
John Landy was the big favourite. Delaney kept close to Landy until the final lap, when he started a crushing final sprint, winning the race in a new Olympic Record [ [http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/results/search_r_uk.asp OLYMPIC MEDAL WINNERS] ] . Delaney thereby became the first Irishman to win an Olympic title in athletics sinceBob Tisdall in 1932.Delaney won the Bronze medal at the 1958 European Championships at 1500m
He remained the last Olympics champion of Ireland for 36 years, until
Michael Carruth won the gold medal in boxing at the1992 Olympics inBarcelona .Delaney continued his running career in North America, winning four successive AAU titles in the
mile , adding to his total of four Irish national titles, and three NCAA titles. He was next to unbeatable on indoor tracks over that period, which included a 40-race winning streak. He broke the World Indoor Mile Record on three occasions.He was granted the
Freedom of Dublin City in 2006. [ [http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0305/dublin.html?rss Geldof, Delany receive Dublin honour] ]Was also conferred with an honorary Doctor of Laws Degree by
UCD in 2006. [ [http://www.ucd.ie/news/dec06/120506_ronnie_delany.htm Ireland’s most famous Olympian, Ronnie Delany honoured by UCD] ]Now runs his own Marketing Consultancy business. [ [http://www.adworld.ie/directory/entry/?guid=96585e0d-bed3-4c48-afd3-48c105d6721b Ronnie Delany Marketing Consultant] ]
References
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