28 November 2010 Sunday Independent W H O ’S W H O I N S PI R I N G H O P E I N A N AT IO N I N T U R M OI L 15 THE PEOPLE JACK WHO RONNIE DELANY INSPIRED: KYLE Olympic champion who was almost unbeatable indoors Perhaps the best Irish rugby player of all time HE greatest Irish fly-half of all time Tand perhaps even the best Irish player in any position. He was, in his time, the most capped rugby player in the world, with 46 caps over 12 seasons. It is indicative of his talent GEORGE that he is still recognised in New Zealand and Australia HOOK as the finest number 10 to have toured there. Sport has On the Lions tour of sometimes 1950, he played in 20 of the 29 games, including succeeded in six tests against inverse ratio Australia and New Zealand. Most of Kyle’s to economic career was played when offside was determined N 1956, despite being the seventh runner to run the mile in under and social by ball, rather than the four minutes, he struggled to make the Irish team for the Olympic upheavals. hindmost foot, and the IGames in Melbourne later that year. Delany won the 1500m final in flankers did not need to a new Olympic record, with a blistering last 200m. He became the first Nero stay bound at the Irishman to win an Olympic title in athletics since Pat O’Callaghan and promised the scrum. It reduced Bob Tisdall in 1932 at the Los Angeles games. He went on to win the dramatically the space bronze medal at the 1958 European Championships. He remained the citizens of available to attack and last Irish Olympics champion for 36 years, until Michael Carruth won Rome bread yet he prospered. He gold for boxing at the Barcelona games. Delany continued his running qualified in medicine at career in North America, where he was next to unbeatable on indoor and circus in Queen’s University, tracks, in a 40-race winning streak. He broke the world indoor mile Belfast and spent over record on three occasions. an effort to 30 years working as a take their surgeon in Africa. minds off realities of PADRAIG living in JOHN GILES Ancient HARRINGTON Soccer great who succeeded as player, manager and television pundit Rome. Run of major successes marks him as As the country something special enters the ARRINGTON most difficult may be the period of its Hfinest sportsman ever produced by history, with Ireland, by virtue of his success at the highest the credibility level of professional of politicians golf. In a two-year purple patch, he at an all-time delivered under the low, the most intense pressure. MAEVE KYLE heroics of In 2007, he became the first Irishman to win Trailblazer in women’s sport at a sportsmen the Open Championship in 60 time when it faced church criticism give us years and the first ever from the Republic. A HE competed in three Olympic Games, something to year later at Royal gained 58 Irish caps at hockey and, in aspire to. Birkdale, he defended recognition of her work with athletes, S y his title with a four- was awarded the lifetime achievement award h c e a k Sport n under-par 32 on the r at the 2006 Coaching Awards in recognition o u C B back nine in the last of her work with athletes. She was one of the d epitomises i m v round. He was the first o most important voices in the propagation of a T integrity, European golfer since James Braid in 1906 to sport for women in Ireland. It must be D truth, loyalty retain the Claret Jug. Just three weeks later, remembered that in 1952, women’s sport was ILES rates because he used sport to raise Harrington won the PGA Championship. criticised by the authoritarian Catholic himself from the relative poverty of a and team Although five over par after two rounds, he shot Archbishop of Dublin, John Charles Gworking-class background in inner-city eight under par for the weekend, carding McQuaid, who railed against women Dublin. Giles, like so many young people in that spirit. For that successive scores of 66 in the third and fourth competing in athletics in his Lenten pastoral. era, went from kicking a rubber ball in the street reason I have rounds. Harrington became the first European to Maeve Kyle was one of the early pioneers to being one of the finest footballers in England. win the PGA Championship in 78 years and the and in the mid-’50s she persuaded talented The number of Irishmen who have reached the looked at my first winner from Ireland. Tiger Woods apart, he women athletes to compete in Dublin in pinnacle of English professional football is very sporting is the first golfer to win two majors in the same front of a surprised audience. I have no small. His achievements span three very different year since Mark O’Meara in 1998 and the first to doubt that Kyle must have influenced and working disciplines – player, manager and pundit. heroes. win consecutive majors in the same year since motivated huge numbers of young girls to Giles was the finest midfielder that Ireland has Nick Price in 1994. Apart from Woods, he is the take up sport when they saw an Irishwoman ever produced. He became a manager at club and first golfer to win three of six consecutive majors competing in the Olympic Games. international level, before becoming one of the in 25 years, since Tom Watson did so in 1983. finest television critics in Irish sport..