The last Irish athlete to win an Olympic gold in track and field, Delany beat Australian John Landy and Brits Brian Hewson and Ken Wood to triumph in Melbourne 70 years ago.
Ron Delany created history in the men’s 1500m final at the Melbourne Games in 1956 when he became only the third Irish athlete at the time to have won an Olympic gold. Seventy years later, he remains the last Irish athlete to win an Olympic track and field title too.
Delany died on Wednesday (March 11) following a short illness just five days after turning 91. He was only 21 years old in Melbourne in 1956 and retired when he was just 26 due to injury.
At those Melbourne Games he was striving to follow in the footsteps of fellow Irishmen, Pat O’Callaghan, who won Olympic hammer gold in 1928 and 1932, and Bob Tisdall, the 400m hurdles champion in 1932.
The 1500m was packed with talented contenders, too, such as Australia’s home hope John Landy, plus British runners Brian Hewson and Ken Wood.
Landy, who two years earlier had been involved in the race to become the first sub-four-minute miler, wound up third. Hewson led off the final bend and had victory in his sights but finished fifth, whereas Wood, a multiple AAA and Emsley Carr Mile champion who was famed for possessing a fast finishing sprint, was tactically outmanoeuvred and ended up a disappointed ninth.
Delany’s victory made him a global running star and among other things he featured on the front cover of Sports Illustrated. Born in Arklow, County Wicklow, he grew up largely in Dublin but moved to the United States to study at Villanova University, a move that inspired future generations of Irish middle-distance runners to follow a similar path.
Six months before the Melbourne Olympics he became the seventh man to run a sub-four-minute mile and also broke the world indoor mile record several times during his career. But due to injury he struggled to actually qualify for the Irish team for Melbourne before eventually making the squad.
The 1500m final was on December 1 and AW reported: “When the twelve runners got away, Murray
Halberg on the inside went straight into the lead, with Brian Hewson behind him. The Australians Landy and Lincoln were right at the back. The first lap was completed in 58.8sec., and soon after this Merv Lincoln moved up quickly from last to fast, taking the lead after one and a half laps had been covered. Boyd went with him. and tucked in behind with Hewson falling’ back, but there was nothing in it between first and last.
“The short, quick striding Lincoln led through two laps in 2:00.2, running surprisingly well and with great confidence for a man who had to have injections before the race to deaden the pain of an injured toe. Twelve yards covered the field, with John Landy still last. Ken Wood was quite well placed at this stage.
“Three laps went in 3:01.5, and Hewson positioned himself well just behind the leader and then went by and away. Fast though Hewson was going, he was unable to shake off the pack in full cry after him.
“Ken Wood, expected by so many to win, tried to get on terms with the leaders at the bell, but was forced out into the middle of the track round the bend and such was the pace of the large pack chasing Hewson, he was unable to run through this world class field as he has done so frequently in lesser races and faded to a disappointing and dispirited ninth behind Ian Boyd, who stuck it out to the end and ran faster than ever before.
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“Hewson led round the last bend, when Richtzenhain made his effort. Delany had been biding his time and, with John Landy having moved up from the rear on his heels, he made his run for the tape at the right moment and went away to win by 5 yards from Richtzenhain, who just held off Landy by inches. The time of 3:41.2 was a new Olympic record, all twelve finalists beating the old record of 3:45.2.
“So close was the race for places behind the winner that Ian Boyd in eighth place was only some 10 yards down at the fin.ish. Hewson, having made his effort too soon, just failed to hold out and finished fifth in 3:42.6. Exhausted and very disappointed, he allowed ambulance men to carry him off on a stretcher. Wood, sadder and wiser after all his expectations, was even more disheartened and expressed the view that be would not run again, but that could be taken as the hasty reaction of a disappointed loser.”
Achilles problems followed for Delany although he placed third at the 1958 European 1500m in Stockholm behind winner Hewson and runner-up Dan Waern of Sweden.
Disappointment followed at the Rome Olympics in 1960 when he was knocked out of the 800m heats and withdrew from the 1500m.
In later life he worked in marketing and sports consultancy and was feted in his native Ireland, being awarded the freedom of the city of Dublin among other honours.
