Three Connaught athletes among Irish Olympic team

Team Ireland has officially announced their athletics team for Tokyo Olympics which commence on July 23.

Connacht Athletics have produced a fascinating record of the province’s athletes who have competed in the Olympic Games. There are twenty-four names on the list, with four from Mayo.

The four are led by Mayo’s most famous and successful Olympian – Martin Sheridan from Bohola, representing USA.

He was the greatest all-round athlete of his time winning a total of 9 Olympic medals. In addition to winning the discus at St Louis 1904, Athens 1906 and London 1908, Sheridan won the shot in 1906 and the Greek-style discus in 1908. To these five gold medals he added three silver medals in 1906 in the stone throw and the standing jumps and a bronze medal in the standing long jump in 1908.

In Los Angeles 1984 Monica and Regina Joyce from Westport ran in the women’s marathon.

Deirdre Gallagher (Ballina AC) competed in the 10k walk in Atlanta 1996.

Sinéad Diver (Mayo AC) from Belmullet will become the fourth Mayo Olympian when she represents Australia in the marathon. The women’s marathon event at the 2020 Summer Olympics is scheduled to take place on August 7, 2021, in Sapporo.

Three Connaught athletes have been nominated for Ireland’s Tokyo athletics team with Cillian Greene and Robert McDonnell of Galway City Harriers and North Sligo AC’s Chris O’Donnell named on the mixed 4 x 400m squad, McDonnell the youngest member of the Irish team at 19 years of age.

You can see the full list of Connacht Athletics Olympians at www.mayoac.com