Liam Ball competed in the men’s 100 metres breaststroke and 200 metres breaststroke at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games, having in 1966 become the first Irish swimmer to qualify for a final in the Commonwealth Games – a landmark in Irish swimming history. From the Creggan Estate in Derry, the 17-year-old Ball was coached by Frank Bradley of the Young Swimming Alliance of Ulster at the City Baths in William Street in the Bogside.

He also competed in the European Championships in 1966. After his Commonwealth Games achievement, Ball devoted the following two years entirely to swimming with the goal of qualifying for and competing in Mexico. He had set a national record in the 100m breaststroke (1:11.0) in an early-season international against Iceland. He also competed in the women’s relay events alongside his teammates.

The Mexico Games came at the end of an intense two-year programme of preparation and represented the realisation of a clearly defined sporting ambition.