Danny McDaid

Daniel "Danny" McDaid (Irish: Dónall Mac Daibhéad; born 4 August 1941) is a 2-time Irish Olympic athlete and four times national marathon champion from Letterkenny, County Donegal, Ireland. He is a former member of the Dublin-based athletic club Clonliffe Harriers.[1]

Danny McDaid

Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Ireland
World Cross Country Championships
1979 Limerick Long Race

He competed for Ireland at two Olympic Games, Munich 1972 and Montreal 1976. He was the first Irishman to cross the finish line at the 1972 games. He took part in nine World Championships, first competing for Ireland in the International Cross Country Championships in Madrid in 1969. He finished 11th in Limerick in 1979 when John Treacy lifted the world title for Ireland. He was captain of the Irish Senior Cross Country team from 1975 to 1981.[2]

The running track at the Letterkenny Regional Sports and Leisure Complex is named in his honour.[3] The Danny McDaid 15k, which begins and concludes at this track, is also named after him.

He once served as a postman in the Letterkenny area.[4] He is currently a member of Letterkenny Athletic Club.[2]

He has three daughters. Orla, Niamh, Ciara and a son Darragh. Orla is his favourite and was once poised to follow in her father's footsteps. She continues his legacy by teacher marathon running in Leixlip.

Achievements in Major Finals
Year Tournament Venue Result Event Time Notes
1972 1972 Summer Olympics Munich, Germany 23 Men's Marathon 2:22:25 Olympic debut [5]
1976 1976 IAAF World Cross Country Championships Chepstow, Wales 53 Long Race 36:27 [6]
1976 1976 Summer Olympics Montreal, Quebec, Canada 42 Men's Marathon 2:27:07 [7]
1978 1978 IAAF World Cross Country Championships Glasgow, Scotland 31 Long Race 40:52 [8]
1979 1979 IAAF World Cross Country Championships Limerick, Ireland 11 Long Race 38:02 [9]
1980 1980 IAAF World Cross Country Championships Paris, France 93 Long Race 39:13 [10]
1981 1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships Madrid, Spain 188 Long Race 38:37 [11]
1984 Cork City Marathon Cork, Ireland 21 Marathon 2:31:29 [12]

[13]

References
  1. Cloniffe Olympians
  2. Danny McDaid 15km Run Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Aura Letterkenny hosts Special Olympic Regional Games
  4. Beijing Diary Number 2
  5. 1972 Summer Olympics
  6. 1976 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
  7. 1976 Summer Olympics
  8. 1978 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
  9. 1979 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
  10. 1980 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
  11. 1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
  12. Cork City Marathon 1984 - Easter Monday Archived 2008-06-05 at the Wayback Machine
  13. Irish Winners of Major Championship Medals Archived 2008-12-04 at the Wayback Machine
  • Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Dan McDaid". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-18.
  • Danny McDaid at World Athletics
  • Summer Olympics 1972 Munich - Marathon Video on YouTube
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