Back in the 1932 Olympics, Tipperary-raised Bob Tisdall won gold in the 400 metre hurdles.
However, the world record time he set that day in Los Angeles was not recognised until many years later as he had hit a hurdle on his way to victory.
But Tisdall, who passed away in 2004 at the age of 97 and is honoured with a statue in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, had a fascinating life and build-up to those Olympics games and UCD historian Paul Rouse joined us on Off The Ball tonight to tell the story of a man born to Irish parents in Sri Lanka (then known as Ceylon) in 1907.
"He moved to Nenagh when he was 5. The story has it that a cobra tried to attack him in Ceylon so his family sent him home to an aunt who minded him," said Rouse of one portion of Tisdall's childhood.
At some point in the early 1920s when the War of Independence and Civil War raged, his family were forced to leave Nenagh for unclear reasons but as Rouse detailed, whatever happened left a mark on Tisdall.
"Tisdall was later to write 'what happened to me in Ireland did leave an invisible wound upon my love for that country'".
Yet Tisdall did go on to represent Ireland at the Olympics and you can listen to the full and fascinating history of his life on the podcast.
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