Men's and Women's national marathon winners disqualified for wearing illegal vests.
Jerry Kiernan and Deirdre Nagle won the national marathon held during the Cork City Marathon. Both athletes had their national titles taken from them for wearing singlets not sanctioned by BLE.
Listowel man Jerry Kiernan won the race in convincing style just twenty nine seconds outside the Olympic qualifying time of two hours and fourteen minutes. Dubliner Dick Hooper came in eight seconds behind.
In 1984 both the National Marathon and the Cork Marathon took place as part of the same race.
Kiernan took the lead in the first mile of the race and never lost it. However, it was two hours after he won the marathon that Bord Lúthchleas na hÉireann (BLE) acted and Kiernan was stripped of his title because he had worn a vest they regard as illegal.
It bore the name of the city marathon sponsors.
The winner of the women's race Deirdre Nagle was also disqualified on the same grounds.
Dick Hooper and Christine Kennedy were subsequently awarded the titles as National Marathon Winners. However, the powers of BLE extend only to the national title and Kiernan and Nagle remain respective winners of the Cork Marathon. While Kiernan had lost the title as national champion, he still regarded himself as the winner and believed he should go to the Los Angeles Olympics.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 23 April 1984. The reporter is Tom MacSweeney.
