Ronnie Delaney’s gold medal in the men’s 1500m at the 1956 Games was the standout moment for Ireland at that Melbourne Games. But, it was also Ireland’s greatest Games in terms of medal haul, they won five medals at the Games in total.
The other four medals at the Games came in boxing: Fred Tiedt won welterweight silver; John Caldwell won flyweight bronze; Freddie Gilroy won bantamweight bronze; Anthony Byrne won lightweight bronze.
In 1956, Arklow-born Delaney became the seventh runner to join the four-minute miler club, but struggled to make the Irish Olympic team. He did, however, and then qualified for the 1500m final, in which home runner John Landy was the favourite. Delaney kept close in behind Landy until the final lap, at which point he sprinted clear of his Australian rival to take gold. The medal was Ireland’s first track medal since Bob Tisdall won gold in the 400m hurdles at the 1932 Games.
Dubliner Tiedt won his boxing silver in the welterweight division. Along the road to victory, Tiedt defeated Tadeusz Walasek of Poland, Pearce Allen Lane of the USA, Kevin Hogarth of Australia before he was controversially defeated by Nicolae Linca of Romania in the final. The verdict is considered to be one of the greatest injustices suffered by an Irish boxer in Olympic history.
Caldwell took his bronze in the flyweight division. Caldwell was given a bye in the first round in Melbourne. He then knocked out Burma’s Yaishwe in his first fight proper. In the last eight, Caldwell defeated Australia’s Warner Batchelor. He lost his semi-final bout to Romania’s Mircea Dobrescu.
Belfast’s Gilroy took bantamweight bronze in Melbourne. He was given a first-round bye, then defeated European champion Boris Stiepanov [Stepanov] of the Soviet Union with an explosive third round knock-out in the second round. In the last eight quarter-final he beat Italy’s Mario Sitri, before losing his semi-final bout to eventual gold medallist Wolfgang Behrendt of Germany.
Drogheda’s Tony Byrne won bronze in the lightweight division. A fundraising campaign entitled ‘Send Byrne to Melbourne’ raised £653 from local business in Drogheda to send him to Australia.
Byrne was given a first-round bye. He then defeated Josef Chovanec of Czechoslovakia, and Luis Molina of the US. He lost his semi-final to Harry Kurschat of Germany.
Written by: Tadhg Peavoy
Edited by: Tom Hunt
