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O'Sullivan: Triumphant again
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With the Olympic Games just around the corner skysports.com takes a look at Ireland's top ten Olympians.
Sonia O'Sullivan (2000 Olympics)
O'Sullivan was one of the world's leading long-distance runners in the 1990s and early 2000s and proved her quality with silver in Sydney, narrowly beaten by Romanian Gabriela Szabo but finishing ahead of third-placed Ethiopian Gete Wami.
Michelle de Bruin (1996 Olympics)
Competing under her maiden name of Smith she shot to fame by becoming the first Irish competitor to win a gold medal in swimming, eventually winning three golds and a bronze in Atlanta to set the record for an Irish competitor at a single Olympics. However, her achievements were overshadowed after she was banned from swimming for four years after being found guilty of tampering with a drug test in 1998.
John Pius Boland (1896 Olympics)
The first Irish-born Olympic gold medallist won the tennis singles in Athens and partnered Fritz Traun to victory in the doubles. Boland's triumphs were initially credited to the UK/Great Britain but have since been claimed by Irish historians.
Tom Kiely (1904 Olympics)
Won the all-round championship (forerunner of the decathlon) in St Louis. His victory was also claimed by UK/Great Britain but as he paid his own expenses in travelling from Ireland to America the medal is another which had been claimed by Irish historians.
Peter O'Connor and Con Leahy (1906 Olympics)
The pair won gold medals at the (now unofficial) Intercalated Olympic Games in Athens and made their own spirited protest to claims they were part of the United Kingdom or Great Britain, raising an Irish flag to the top of the stadium's 20-foot flag pole. O'Connor won the hop, step and jump with Leahy victorious in the high jump.
Dr Pat O'Callaghan (1928 & 1932 Olympics)
In their first Games as an independent nation O'Callaghan claimed an unexpected gold in the hammer in Amsterdam. Four years later he repeated the feat in Los Angeles.
Bob Tisdall (1932 Olympics)
Tisdall, born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) but with Irish heritage, wrote to the Irish Olympic Council asking to be considered for the 400 metres hurdles. After qualifying by winning the 440-yard hurdles at the Irish Championships Tisdall won his preliminary Olympic heat in Los Angeles, equalled the Olympic record of 52.8 seconds in the semi-finals and in the final, despite stumbling at the final hurdle, he won in 51.7 seconds. He would have set a new world-leading time had he not knocked over the last hurdle - which under the rules ruled out recognition of a world record.
Ron Delany (1952 Olympics)
Won the 1,500 metres in Helsinki in a new Olympic record time of three minutes 41.2 seconds.
Michael Carruth (1992 Olympics)
In Barcelona the Dubliner became the first Irishman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing.
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