John Treacy won a silver medal in the marathon at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games.

Raised in Villierstown, County Waterford, Treacy emerged from a strong cross-country background and developed into one of the leading distance runners of his era, combining success on track, roads and cross country. He competed collegiately at Providence College, where he became an NCAA champion.

His Olympic silver followed a distinguished career that included back-to-back victories at the World Cross Country Championships in 1978 and 1979.

In all, he competed at four Olympic Games, moving from track events to the marathon, and remained a central figure in Irish athletics long after his competitive career.

Treacy later served as Chief Executive of the Irish Sports Council and remains one of Ireland’s most celebrated distance runners.