WITH the Olympics in Rio beginning this weekend, it’s all too easy to dream of Irish success and reminisce of the terrific moments from past Games.
Since way back in 1924, the Emerald Isle has had numerous representatives at the Summer Olympics, a period of over 90 years in which Ireland has seen some truly memorable moments.
Whether, it was Katie Taylor punching her way to gold in London 2012 or John Treacy pacing to silver in Los Angeles in 1984, Ireland’s Olympic achievements have always brought so much joy to Irish hearts and have remained as such glorious memories.
Here are some of Ireland’s greatest success stories at the Olympic Games.
Pat O’Callaghan – 1928 & 1932 Games
Hammer throwing is an age-old event at the Olympics (Picture: Inpho)Despite Pat O’Callaghan winning back-to-back national hammer titles in 1927 and 1928 – an achievement which helped him reach the Amsterdam Olympics – nobody could ever have predicted the athlete’s career would have developed the way it did.
Upon qualifying for the Olympics in 1928, many tipped the hammer thrower to not even make the top six. Astoundingly, however, the Corkonian ended up defying the odds by winning gold after beating first-round leader Oissian Skoeld by four inches in the second round.
O’Callaghan’s win made him the first Irish athlete to win gold at an Olympics – a feat even more remarkable when you consider he had to pay his own fare to Amsterdam. The triumph also coincided with the Irish tricolor being raised for the first time along with the playing of Amhrán na bhFiann.
The gold medalist didn’t stop there though and racked up national wins in hammer throwing, shot putt and the high jump during the years after 1928, which helped him to once again qualify for the hammer throw in the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles.
And despite not being made aware of the change of surface to cinder instead of the usual grass or clay, O’Callaghan still managed to impressively retain his Olympic title in Los Angeles as he triumphed with a second throw of 176’11’’, marking another truly special Irish sporting moment.
The back-to-back golds saw O’Callaghan become a national hero and marked his name in the history books for generations. For sure, we should look back on O’Callaghan’s wins with great adulation, but hopefully they can also provide us with a spark of optimism heading into this year’s Olympics in Rio.
Melbourne 1956 – Five Irish medals
Delany won gold for Ireland the 1500 metres (Picture: Inpho)Some 50 years ago, Arklow-born Ronnie Delany won a gold medal for Ireland in the 1,500 metres in what was an extremely fruitful Olympic games for the Irish in Melbourne. Along with Delany’s gold, Dublin boxer Fred Tiedt picked up a superb silver medal in the welterweight boxing division after defeating United States and Australia along the way, whilst fellow compatriot boxers John Caldwell, Fred Gilroy and Anthony Byrne all won bronze medals in their respective flyweight, bantamweight and lightweight divisions to give Ireland an overall impressive haul of five medals.
The Olympics of 1956 had stood alone for 46 years, as Ireland’s most successful championships but was bettered in London four years ago when Irish participants eventually won six medals.
John Treacy – Los Angeles 1984
John Treacy spectacularly picked up a silver medal in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. (Picture:Inpho)After years without much success at running in the Olympics, John Treacy changed the history books when in 1984 he won silver for Ireland in the 1,500 metre race. In the last 150 metres, the Waterford native sped past Briton, Charlie Spedding, to clinch his runners-up medal. The impressive sprint by Treacy was met with a notable remark from legendary Irish commentator, Jimmy Magee who at the time said "and for the 13th time, an Olympic medal goes to John Treacy from Villierstown in Waterford, the little man with the big heart”. This is one Olympics achievement which will live long in the memories of Irishmen and women.
Sonia O’Sullivan – Sydney 2000
O'Sullivan won silver in the Sydney 2000 Olympics (Picture: Inpho)Having failed to win a medal in the two previous Olympic Games, long distance runner Sonia O’Sullivan was hopeful that Sydney 2000 would turn out to be third time lucky as the Cork native tried once again to make her mark on the world’s stage, and boy did she do just that! After battling in the 5,000 metres, O’Sullivan brilliantly finished second, missing out on first place to Romanian Gabriela Szabo by just 23 hundredths of a second. Winning a silver, however, was a fine achievement, especially when you consider it was only the second medal ever to be won for Ireland by a female and was the first track and field Irish medal since John Treacy, 16 years prior in Los Angeles.
Katie Taylor – London 2012
Katie Taylor will be hoping she can win successive gold medals (Picture:Inpho)When Wicklow native Katie Taylor went to London 2012, the boxer fulfilled a childhood dream in becoming an Olympic champion. The 30-year-old beat Russia’s Sofya Ochigava 10-8 in the women's lightweight final, picking up a superb gold medal to take back to her birthplace Bray, where they were waiting in their numbers for her homecoming. Many shed a tear with the tenacious fighter amid the joyous celebrations as she became the first female in 12 years to win a medal for Ireland since Sonia O’ Sullivan in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
