Ron Delany
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Ronald Michael Delany (March 6, 1935), better known as Ron or Ronnie is a former Irish athlete, who specialised in the middle distances.
Born in Arklow, Delany 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 a place in the final of the 1500 m at the 1954 European Championships in Berne.
In 1956, he became the seventh runner to join the club of Four minute milers, but nonetheless struggled to make the Irish team for the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne.
Delany qualified for the Olympic 1500 m final, in which home runner John Landy was the big favourite. Delany kept close to Landy until the final lap, when he started a crushing final sprint, winning the race in a new Olympic Record. Delaney thereby became the first Irishman to win an Olympic title in athletics since Bob Tisdall in 1932, and the last one to date.
Delany 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.
| Olympic medalists in athletics (men) | Olympic Champions in Men's 1500 m |
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Teddy Flack | Charles Bennett | Jim Lightbody (twice) | Mel Sheppard | Arnold Jackson | Albert Hill | Paavo Nurmi | Harry Larva | Luigi Beccali | Jack Lovelock | Henry Eriksson | Josy Barthel | Ron Delany | Herb Elliott | Peter Snell | Kip Keino | Pekka Vasala | John Walker | Sebastian Coe (twice) | Peter Rono | Fermín Cacho | Noureddine Morceli | Noah Ngeny | Hicham El Guerrouj |