Ron Delany facts for kids
Delany in 1957
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Birth name | Ronald Michael Delany | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Ronnie | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Irish | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 6 March 1935 Arklow, County Wicklow, Ireland |
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| Height | 184 cm | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 75 kg | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 800 m, 1500 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Crusaders Athletic Club, Dublin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Jumbo Elliott | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 1962 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Regional finals | 1954 European Athletics Championships, 1958 European Athletics Championships |
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| Olympic finals | 1956 Summer Olympics, 1960 Summer Olympics |
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| Personal best(s) | 800 m – 1:47.1 (1961) 1500 m – 3:41.49 (1956) |
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Medal record
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| Updated on 29 July 2012. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Ronald Michael Delany (born 6 March 1935) is an Irish former athlete. He was a runner who was really good at middle-distance races. He won a gold medal in the 1500 metres race at the 1956 Summer Olympics. This big win happened in Melbourne, Australia.
Ron also won a bronze medal in the 1500 metres event. This was at the 1958 European Athletics Championships in Stockholm. He also competed in other big races. These included the 1954 European Athletics Championships and the 1960 Summer Olympics. He retired from running in 1962. Ron Delany is still one of Ireland's most famous Olympic athletes.
Contents
Ron Delany's Early Life
Ron Delany was born in Arklow, County Wicklow, Ireland. When he was six, his family moved to Sandymount, Dublin. He went to O'Connell School, Sandymount High School, and Catholic University School. At Catholic University School (CUS), his first coach was Jack Sweeney (mathematics teacher).
Ron sent a telegram to Jack from Melbourne after his big win. It said, "We did it Jack." In 2008, Ron said that Jack Sweeney helped him reach his full potential. Ron later studied business at Villanova University in the United States. There, he was coached by the famous track coach Jumbo Elliott.
Ron Delany's Running Career
Ron Delany's first important achievement was reaching the final of the 800 metres race. This was at the 1954 European Athletics Championships in Bern. In 1956, he became the seventh runner to complete a four-minute mile. This means he ran a mile in under four minutes. Even so, he found it hard to get on the Irish team for the 1956 Summer Olympics. These Olympics were held in Melbourne.
Olympic Gold Medal Win
Ron Delany made it to the Olympic 1,500 metres final. The local runner, John Landy, was expected to win. Ron stayed close to Landy until the very last lap. Then, Ron started a super-fast sprint. He won the race and set a new Olympic record!
Ron Delany was the first Irish person to win an Olympic gold medal in athletics since 1932. The people of Ireland found out about their new champion at breakfast time. Ron was Ireland's last Olympic champion for 36 years. Then, Michael Carruth won a gold medal in boxing at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Later Competitions and Records
Ron won the bronze medal in the 1,500 metres race in 1958. This was at the 1958 European Athletics Championships. He raced for Ireland again at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. This time, he ran in the 800 metres. He finished sixth in his quarter-final race.
Ron continued his running career in North America. He won four straight AAU titles in the mile race. He also had four Irish national titles and three NCAA titles. He was almost unbeatable on indoor tracks during that time. He even had a winning streak of 40 races! He broke the World Indoor Mile Record three times. In 1961, Ron won a gold medal at the World University Games in Sofia, Bulgaria. He stopped competitive running in 1962.
Life After Running
After he stopped competing, Ron Delany first worked in the United States. He worked for the Irish airline Aer Lingus. For almost 20 years after that, he was a top manager for B&I Line. This was an Irish ferry company based in Dublin. He was in charge of marketing and how the ferries operated.
In 1998, he started his own company. This company focused on marketing and sports advice. Ron Delany also coached athletics for a while. He coached at Franciscan College Gormanston in the 1960s.
Honours and Recognition
In 2006, Ron Delany was given the Freedom of the City of Dublin. This is a special honour. He also received an honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from University College Dublin in 2006.
In 2019, a new housing area in Arklow was named Delany Park to honour him. This is where Ron was born. He even went to the opening ceremony himself. Also, two streets in Strabane, Northern Ireland, were named after him in the 1950s. They were called Delaney Crescent and Olympic Drive. Ron didn't know about these until someone told him his last name was spelled wrong!
See also
In Spanish: Ron Delany para niños
