Ronnie Delany RIP

Morton Games is sad to learn of the passing yesterday, March 11 of Ireland’s 1956 Olympic 1500 gold medallist Ronnie Delany.

Delany took Olympic gold at the Melbourne Olympics, and was a finalist again in Rome in 1960. In the 1958 European Championships he took 1500 bronze and in 1961 he won gold in the 800 at the World University Games.

Ronnie Delany’s connection with Morton Games goes back to the 1958 world record mile in Santry when Herb Elliott set a new world mark of 3.54.5 on 6 August with the Olympic gold medallist finishing 3rd in 3.57.5, the first five all running sub four-minute miles, the first time in history that this occurred.

Since that historic night he has been a regular guest at Morton Games, famously at the precursor of the current Morton Games in 2008 which celebrated the 50th anniversary of that monumental dream mile.

Irish athletics has lost one of the true legends of the sport. May he rest in peace.