IN JANUARY 1957, not long after Ronnie Delany won a gold medal for Ireland at the Olympics, a baby was born and greeted the world feet first.

The hospital staff, fascinated by their arrival, immediately drew a comparison.

“He’s a real Ronnie Delany,” they declared.

Ray Flynn, the longstanding owner of the Irish outdoor mile record, doesn’t believe that those words were meant as any kind of prediction for his future.

Delany was simply a celebrity at the time, still being lauded for what he had achieved in the final of the 1500m at the 1956 Melbourne Games. His success at just 21 reverberated throughout the 60s. Flynn grew up absorbed by Delany’s aura.

“He was doing commercials on TV. He had won 10 years earlier, and yet he was still such an ambassador and a role model to young children,” Flynn says. 

Delany transcended sport and became a figure of athletics that everyone could relate to. It was enough to know that Delany was the champion runner. 

So, in the instance of Flynn’s unusual birth, it was easy to see why someone would reach for the Delany image. At least, that’s what Flynn thinks.

But those words did prove to be prophetic. The Longford native did go on to become something of a real Ronnie Delany. Others did too.

Olympians. Record holders. Champions on the world stage — Delany showed them the way.

Even the feats of today’s Irish athletes can be traced back to that image of the man in the green singlet cutting the race tape in Melbourne. 

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In the wake of his passing at 91, Olympic silver medallist Sonia O’Sullivan remembers how her many interactions with Delany often didn’t feature sport. Their friendship had deeper roots.

Of course, he was a huge supporter throughout her career.

Sonia O'Sullivan finishing second in the final of women's 5,000m at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Patrick Bolger / INPHO Patrick Bolger / INPHO / INPHO

He was sitting alongside O’Sullivan’s husband Nic Bideau, and her daughter Ciara, at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. O’Sullivan knows what he was anticipating for her when she stepped to the line for the final of the women’s 5,000m.

“He was kind of thinking, ‘Will my queen join me tonight and match with another gold medal?’”

Delany took in every stride of her brilliant performance which ended in a dramatic sprint against the eventual winner, Gabriela Szabo of Romania.

“It was a close silver and I think he was as proud of that as anything, to see another athlete win a medal and join him as an Olympic medallist in athletics.”

Delany and Sonia go back even further than that. Their first conversation was over the phone when O’Sullivan was just 17 and had won the 1987 National Cross Country Championships. Delany called to offer his congratulations and share some advice about how to navigate the next stage of her career with US scholarship options in the offing.

Delany famously attended Villanova University where he studied commerce and finance, and was happy to pass on the recommendation. Eamonn Coghlan and Marcus O’Sullivan also followed that path, and Sonia became the first Irish female athlete to head for the college in Pennsylvania.

“I didn’t really know who Ronnie Delany was at the time. Ronnie set the standard for so many athletes and Villanova was just one example of where Irish athletes went to college. But that was a special one where there was a pipeline of Irish athletes that continually went there.

“It was all about the opportunity to better yourself in the sport. And then have a side of education as well, just in case it didn’t work out. I think that is always important to Irish people to have two plans – plan A and plan B.”

Ronnie Delany pictured with Annalise Murphy and Sonia O'Sullivan at the 2016 Irish Times Sportswoman Of The Year Awards. Donall Farmer / INPHO Donall Farmer / INPHO / INPHO

Delany and O’Sullivan met regularly through the years, building and solidifying a friendship that went far beyond sport. He taught her the true meaning of athletics in the overall context of one’s life.

“Athletics is just a small part of your life. It’s the piece of your life that everybody sees on the surface and there’s so much more to people.

“We never really talked about athletics. You were just enjoying each other’s company. He wasn’t just a sports person.”

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It wasn’t until around 2017 that Ray Flynn finally met Delany. He also ventured to America when he came to that time in his life, eventually settling on East Tennessee State University. He still lives in Tennessee where he runs a sports management company, although he tries to travel home to Longford when he can. 

The midlands lilt is still there in his voice when we speak over the phone.

Delany, however, moved back to Ireland and living in different countries prevented them from crossing paths. That 2017 meeting gave Delany a glimpse of what he had done for those who came after him.

“He was recognising that he had handed off the baton to the next generation,” Flynn says.

“I think he was happy to acknowledge that other great Irish athletes had succeeded following him. We all as runners have a connection anyway, because it’s like a fraternity. He proved that it could be done. And economically, it was a gloomy time in Ireland.

Ronnie Delany and Ray Flynn.

“There wasn’t really a lot of opportunities when you came out of school. This was a pathway of opportunity that worked for so many. It’s lovely to see that now the opportunities are back staying in Ireland, but that wasn’t the case then. So, Ronnie definitely paved the way. It was great to speak with him and connect.”

Flynn, O’Sullivan and Delany are forever intertwined in the annals of Irish athletics history. Their respective records and medals are side by side in the roll of honour. They belong to a special club. Few others occupy that space. 

And in the case of Flynn and Delany, they share a particular connection as middle-distance specialists. Flynn’s 3:49.77 from 1982 remains the Irish outdoor record for the mile, even after Andrew Coscoran ran 3:49.26 indoors in the Wanamaker Mile at the 2025 Millrose Games.

Flynn also set a 4×1 mile relay record with Marcus O’Sullivan, Eamonn Coghlan and Frank O’Mara in 1985.

“There’s a special bond with all of us, especially because of those middle distances,” says Flynn. “And Ronnie was the first one there and we followed on in his footsteps.

“There’s a respect on that playing field. It’s lovely to be mentioned in the same field as him.”

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Flynn makes the point that American athletes who win Olympic gold medals are often forgotten. They get swamped by the next wave of red, white and blue stars.

But in a country like Ireland, where such feats are rare on the track, a talent like Ronnie Delany becomes a timeless treasure. His death, sad as it is, will bring the highlights of his sporting career to a new generation.

And for Flynn, it’s an opportunity to renew his appreciation for the example that Delany set for him. In a lovely turn of events, it was destiny that Flynn would follow Delany’s path from birth.

Delany crossing the line to win gold in the final of the men's 1500m at the Melbourne Olympics. Allsport / INPHO Allsport / INPHO / INPHO

“The legacy he left for all of us was he was the first great success story who came to the US and led the way in a time when there wasn’t a lot of opportunity for young boys and girls in Ireland to be successful in sport.”

Sonia shares a similar sentiment. Delany quickly became a friend as her career progressed. His gift to her was helping her appreciate the responsibility that comes with being an Olympian, and what you can do to encourage the athletes who come after you.

“You’re an Olympian, you’re representing your country. You’re an example to people and you’re an inspiration to people. So, you have to show that when you’re around people. And you have that energy and you exude that as best you can. Ronnie was the best example of that.

“He was always a familiar face. He was someone who welcomed you and was happy to see you there. He was the father of all the Irish athletes who followed in his footsteps.”