Denis John Cussen was one of the outstanding all-round sportsmen of his era, the first Irish athlete to break the ten-second barrier for the 100 yards – running 9.8 seconds at the NACAI national championships in 1928 – as well as an Ireland rugby international who won fifteen caps between 1921 and 1927.

From Newcastlewest, County Limerick, Cussen was a doctor who studied at Trinity College Dublin and later at St Mary’s Hospital, London, where he received expert coaching in sprinting technique and developed what was described as mastery of the ‘subtle art of starting.’

He won his first national 100y and 220y IAAA titles in 1921 and completed a treble in 1922 by also winning the long jump.

In his most celebrated rugby season of 1926, he formed part of a back line described by rugby historians as arguably the greatest ever fielded by Ireland, scoring two tries in a celebrated 19-15 victory over England – the first time Ireland had beaten England in fifteen years.

He competed in the men’s 100 metres at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympic Games, finishing second in his first-round heat to qualify, before being eliminated in the second round.