John Daly (athlete)

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.

At those Games Daly finished third in the 5 mile competition, but was disqualified for obstructing Edward Dahl. He abandoned his marathon race after 18 miles due to blisters and an ankle injury, which resulted in a three-day hospitalisation. After 1906 Daly mostly raced in the United States, where he later became a successful New York businessman. He was selected for the 1908 British Olympic team, but did not compete.

In 1907 he enjoyed his greatest successes, winning the 5 mile and 10 mile U.S. A.A.U. titles and the Canadian 3 mile title. In 1909, running for the Irish American Athletic Club, he came in second place in the Yonkers Marathon, in a time of 2 hours 55 minutes and 44 and 4/5 seconds.