Mary Vaughan competed in the women’s individual recurve archery at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, finishing 39th of 47 competitors.

She had achieved the Olympic qualifying standard after only three years involvement in the sport, which as a considerable achievement in itself. The competition consisted of a double FITA round in which each competitor fired 288 arrows in total at distances of 30, 50, 60 and 70 metres.

Mary was one of only two Irish archers selected for Los Angeles, alongside the more experienced Hazel Greene.