OLYMPIC gold medallist Ronnie Delany has died at the age of 91.
The Wicklow native, who was born in Arklow but raised in Dublin, won gold in the 1500m at the 1956 summer Olympics in Melbourne.
Aged 21 at the time, he made history at the event, where his dramatic late surge to win secured him an Olympic record time of 3:41.2 and saw him claim Ireland’s first Olympic track and field gold medal.
President of the Olympic Federation of Ireland Lochlann Walsh described him as “one of Ireland’s greatest Olympians and a defining figure in Irish sporting history”.
“His extraordinary victory in Melbourne in 1956 remains one of the most iconic moments in Team Ireland’s history,” he added.
Irish Olympic Legend Roinne Delaney has died aged 91The organisation’s CEO Peter Sherrard said Delany’s “immense contribution to Irish sport and to the Olympic movement” continued over many decades.
“Through his leadership of the Irish Olympians Association and his continued advocacy for athletes, he inspired generations and remained a proud ambassador for Team Ireland throughout his life,” Mr Sherrard said.
“Ronnie famously said ‘Once an Olympian, always an Olympian,’ and truly represented the Best of Us,” he added.
In a statement issued last night, Ireland’s Minister for Sport Patrick O’Donovan said he was “saddened” to hear of Delany’s passing.
“Ronnie, who won gold for Ireland in the 1956 Melbourne games, was a role model to athletes at home and abroad,” he said.
“Throughout his brief athletic career, Ronnie inspired young Irish runners to follow their dreams,” he added.
“His remarkable victory in Australia marked the first gold medal for Ireland in two decades, since Bob Tisdall and Pat O’Callaghan won gold in 1932 – and would mark a high point for Irish sport until 1992 in Barcelona.”
Delany began his athletics career with the Crusaders Athletic Club before continuing at Villanova University in the United States, where he became one of the most successful collegiate runners of his era, winning multiple NCAA titles.
He also won bronze in the 1500m at the 1958 European Athletics Championships and enjoyed a remarkable run of success on the international circuit before injury led him to retire from competing at the age of 26.
He went on to work for Aer Lingus and B&I Line, before setting up his own business in sports marketing and consultancy.
Minister of State for Sport, Charlie McConalogue said Delany’s sporting achievements “inspired generations of Irish athletes”.
“His 1956 gold medal win inspired generations of Irish athletes to take up their spikes and get running and was the foundation for the success of such athletes as Sonia O’Sullivan and John Treacy,” he said.
He added: “Ronnie was a deeply committed family man, devoted to his wife Joan, his children, and his grandchildren, and I want to express my condolences to them at this time.”