Athletes Deaths Thread

[Dragon 2,085]

2 hours ago, OlympicIRL said:

Ronnie Delaney, men’s 1500m Olympic champion from 1956 has died at the age of 91   

A Celtic hero

[Triplecast 215]

On 3/11/2026 at 5:36 PM, OlympicIRL said:

Ronnie Delaney, men’s 1500m Olympic champion from 1956 has died at the age of 91   

 

On 3/11/2026 at 8:16 PM, Dragon said:

A Celtic hero

He also ran track at Villanova University, just outside Philadelphia, under legendary coach Jumbo Elliott.

[OlympicIRL 6,315]

3 hours ago, Triplecast said:

 

He also ran track at Villanova University, just outside Philadelphia, under legendary coach Jumbo Elliott.

Indeed he did. Sonia O’Sullivan, Ireland’s greatest ever female track athlete, also ran for Villanova in the 90s.

[Triplecast 215]

On 3/14/2026 at 6:21 PM, OlympicIRL said:

Indeed he did. Sonia O’Sullivan, Ireland’s greatest ever female track athlete, also ran for Villanova in the 90s.

And also include Eamonn Coghlan, another of the great Irish milers who ran at Villanova in the 1970s.

[rybak 3,432]

Today suddenly 26yo  biathlete Linas Banys has passed away, he was competing in latest Olympics for example 

Edited March 20 by rybak

[Jon 61]

Mary Rand has died aged 86. The first British woman to win a Gold in track and field at the 1964 Tokyo Games (where she also took home a further two medals in the Women’s 4x100m relay and Pentathlon).

Edited March 27 by Jon

[Grassmarket 4,318]

21 hours ago, Jon said:

Mary Rand has died aged 86. The first British woman to win a Gold in track and field at the 1964 Tokyo Games (where she also took home a further two medals in the Women’s 4x100m relay and Pentathlon).

Obituary here.  British superstar of the 60s.

 

Mary Rand: 1964 Olympic gold winner dies at age of 86 - BBC Sport

[Triplecast 215]

On 3/27/2026 at 6:31 AM, Jon said:

Mary Rand has died aged 86. The first British woman to win a Gold in track and field at the 1964 Tokyo Games (where she also took home a further two medals in the Women’s 4x100m relay and Pentathlon).

 

4 hours ago, Grassmarket said:

Obituary here.  British superstar of the 60s.

 

Mary Rand: 1964 Olympic gold winner dies at age of 86 - BBC Sport

It's not mentioned in the obituary but her second husband was Bill Toomey   , the gold medalist in the decathlon in 1968. 

[Orangehair43 317]

Not an Athlete but Sir Craig Reedie, former president of WADA and former IOC vice president among many others roles has died. Tribute here from Kirsty Coventry. https://www.olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-mourns-the-death-of-ioc-honorary-member-sir-craig-reedie

Edited April 6 by Orangehair43

[Dragon 2,085]

Nancy Garapick, the Canadian swimmer, who would have won 2 gold medals in front of her home crowd in 1976 if the GDR's doping had been caught. died Monday aged 64.