Raymond ‘Ray’ Flynn ran the fastest mile ever by an Irishman on 7 July 1982 in Oslo – a time of 3:49.77 that at the time of writing remained unsurpassed, recording 44 sub-four-minute miles between 1981 and 1983.

He made his Olympic debut at the 1980 Moscow Games, finishing 6th in his 1,500m heat in 3:41.92. Flynn was drawn in a slow-paced heat led out by Sebastian Coe, who passed 800m in a leisurely 1:59.4; at the bell for the final lap Flynn was in second place but was outsprinted in the charge for home. When Eamonn Coghlan ran his sub-3:50 world indoor record in 1983, Flynn was second in 3:51.20 – the third fastest indoor mile in the history of the sport.

He moved to the 5,000m for the 1984 season and made the final at Los Angeles, finishing 11th ahead of world record holder David Moorcroft – a result that confirmed his status as one of the finest Irish distance runners of his era.

From Longford and a member of Longford AC, Flynn competed at the highest level of international middle-distance and distance running through the early to mid-1980s.