11-08-2025
How an Irish Olympian's defiant act in Athens marked the world's first sports protest
Record-breaker Peter O'Connor, dubbed the 'Irish Antelope', courageously flew flag for his country
On August 5, 1901, as spectators flocked to the annual Royal Irish Constabulary Sports meeting in Ballsbridge, little did they envisage that they would witness a new Irish and world record being set at the south Dublin venue later that afternoon.
The remarkable feat was achieved by 28-year-old Peter O'Connor when the Wicklow man etched his name into the annals of sporting history by breaking the world long- jump record with a remarkable leap of 24 feet, 11-and three-quarter inches (7.61 metres).
