"I can claim dual citizenship. I had a dilemma back in the 50s. Dublin decided to make me the Dublin Man of the Year, while Wicklow decided to make me Wicklow Man of the Year. It required a solemn decision, so I decided I'd take both!"
"I never felt a sense of loneliness. My life was extraordinarily full. I took the academic side seriously and the running seriously, and I also had to work."
Ronnie Delany remains one of Ireland's greatest sportspeople, winning Olympic gold in the 1500m at age 21 in Melbourne. Born in Arklow, Co Wicklow, he moved to Dublin at five and later attended Villanova University in Pennsylvania at 19. Under coach Jumbo Elliot's guidance, Delany developed into a world-class middle-distance runner, winning four NCAA outdoor titles and earning bronze at the 1958 European Championships and gold at the 1961 World University Games. Despite his athletic success as an amateur unable to earn from sport, Delany worked multiple jobs during college while taking academics and running seriously. Both Wicklow and Dublin claimed him as their own, leading him to humorously accept dual recognition as Man of the Year from both counties.
#olympic-athletics #irish-sports-history #middle-distance-running #amateur-athletics #villanova-university
Read at Irish Independent
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