John Daly (athlete)

John Daly

John Daly in 1904
Personal information
Born	22 February 1880 Ballgluin, Galway, Ireland
Died	11 March 1969 (aged 89) New York City, United States
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight	83 kg (183 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	1500 m – marathon
Club	Gaelic Athletic Association
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	Mile – 4:27.8 (1902) 5000 m – 15:34.4 (1911) 10000 m – 33:39.6 (1914)
Medal record Olympic Games Representing  Great Britain 1904 St Louis 2590 m steeplechase Representing  Ireland International Cross Country Championships 1903 Hamilton Individual 1903 Hamilton Team 1906 Caerleon Team 1911 Caerleon Team

John Joseph Daly (22 February 1880 – 11 March 1969) was an Irish runner who won a silver medal in the steeplechase at the 1904 Summer Olympics. He competed for Ireland at the International Cross Country Championships of 1903–1906 and 1911 and won three silver team medals; individually he won a bronze in 1903 and finished fourth in 1904 and 1906. When not competing for Ireland as a member of the Gaelic Athletic Association, Daly entered races as a member of the Irish American Athletic Club.

Daly competed in the 2590 metre steeplechase at the 1904 Summer Olympics held in St Louis, United States and won the silver medal. Although officially representing Great Britain, Daly saw himself as an individual representing Ireland. After the Olympics Daily stayed in North America for two years, and later in 1904 won the Canadian mile and two-mile championships.

In 1906 Daly and two other athletes, Con Leahy and Peter O'Connor, were entered for the Intercalated Games in Athens by the IAAA and GAA, representing Ireland. They were given green blazers and caps with a gold shamrock, and an Irish flag (the Erin Go Bragh flag). However, the rules of the games were changed so that only athletes nominated by National Olympic Committees were eligible. Ireland did not have an Olympic Committee, and the British Olympic Council claimed the three as their own. In what became the first political protest in modern Olympic history, O'Connor, who came second in the long jump, scaled the flagpole, and removed the Union flag, replacing it with a green flag. Daly stood guard at the bottom of the pole, while Irish and American fans kept security guards at bay.