Seamus Downey competed in the men’s road race at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, finishing 43rd – the fourth-placed of the five Irish cyclists in the race.

The extreme heat, difficult circuit and high speed of the 196km Mission Viejo race took their toll on all the riders, and Downey’s completion of the course was itself a significant achievement – teams from 22 countries had no finishers, with only Ireland, USA, Yugoslavia and Sweden completing the race with all their riders.

Seamus also competed in the 100km team time trial in which Ireland finished 16th.