An Irishman was first athlete to win Olympic gold

The first athlete from any country to win an Olympic gold medal was Thomas Francis Kiely (1869-1951) from Ballyneale, near Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary.

He won the all-around event in St Louis on July 4 1904.

As in Paris in 1900 the Olympic games in St Louis four years later were in conjunction with the World’s Fair. The first athletic event was the all-around, which consisted of 10 events. But, unlike the current decathlon, all 10 were on one day, instead of being spread over two days. The events consisted of the 100yds dash, shot putt, high jump, 880yds walk, hammer throw, pole vault, 120yds hurdles, throwing the 56lb weight, long jump, and 1 mile run, in that order.