Maeve Kyle, who became Ireland’s first female track and field Olympian at the 1956 summer Games in Melbourne, died yesterday at the age of 96, the Olympic Federation of Ireland said.
Kyle, who also earned more than 50 caps for the Irish national hockey team, appeared in the Melbourne 1956 Olympics, competing in the 100m and 200m races, becoming the first Irishwoman to compete in the discipline at the Games.
“She competed at three consecutive Olympic Games… at a time when women had to overcome huge prejudice and when opportunities in international athletics were extremely limited,” the OFI said in a statement.
Kyle reached the semifinals in both 400m and 800m races at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964. She won bronze in 400m at the European Indoor Athletics Championships two years later.
“We have lost a legend of Irish Olympic sport who rose to the top despite huge challenges in 1950s Ireland. She was an inspiration to us all,” said OFI President Lochlann Walsh.