He was at the time Ireland’s only third Olympic gold medal winner, after Pat O’Callaghan in the hammer (in 1928 and 1932) and Bob Tisdall in the 400m hurdles (also in 1932). Delany remains Ireland’s last Olympic gold medallist in athletics. I don’t do maybes, but it is terrifying to think about my life if I hadn’t won that Olympic gold medal. Britain had three finalists, including Brian Hewson, and while there was a sense any one of the 12 might win, Delany was the dark horse. In his sophomore year in 1956, Delany helped Villanova win three Penn Relays titles, running the anchor leg in both the sprint and distance medley.

Source: The Irish Times March 12, 2026 15:53 UTC