Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland, August 15–17, 1928
The Tailteann Games, unofficially known as the Irish Olympics, were held for the second time in August 1928. They attracted a significant number of successful athletes from the recently concluded official Olympic Games, including some from the New World.
The natural focus of the celebration was hammer thrower Dr. Patrick O’Callaghan, who had brought the only athletics gold medal to the Irish Free State from Amsterdam. Following up his triumph in the five-ring competition, he secured a convincing victory at the Tailteann Games with a throw of 51.84 (170-1), the fifth-best result of the season. Three of the five longest hammer throws of the 1928 season belonged to O’Callaghan, leaving no doubt about his dominance that year.
James Ball from Canada, the Olympic silver medallist in the 400 in Amsterdam, tried the half-lap distance for a change and sprinted to victory on the grass track of Croke Park in 21.6 seconds. His compatriot John Fitzpatrick finished just a tenth of a second behind.
Phil Edwards, who won bronze in the 800 in Amsterdam, once again ran a strong two laps. He unleashed a powerful final sprint, leaving Lloyd Hahn, the world-ranked number three known as the "Boston Express," seemingly standing still. Edwards's winning time of 1:52.2 was the tenth-fastest in the world that season. He only ran faster once during the year.
The two-lap race in Dublin was Hahn's last competition. He bought a farm in Nebraska and was no longer very interested in running. In early 1929, an attempt was made to lure him back to competitions, but it was unsuccessful. "I don't even have any track spikes anymore," Hahn stated in his reply letter.
Leo Lermond, a Bostonian stone mason who finished fourth in the 5000 in Amsterdam behind the Nordic distance runners, won the same event in his ancestral homeland.
Harold Osborn won both the high jump and the triple jump. In the high jump, the Illinois native defeated Charles McGinnis for the second consecutive time; McGinnis had finished seventh in Amsterdam a couple of weeks earlier.
A time for revenge in the triple jump. Anthony Winter of Australia is remembered as the triple jump champion from the Paris Olympics. His attempt to repeat that gold medal was unsuccessful, as Winter, still the world record holder, failed in Amsterdam (12th place). He found consolation in a victory at the Tailteann Games, leaping his season's best of 15.02 (49-3½), which was also the sixth-longest jump in the world in 1928.
Medallists (Spalding's Athletic Almanac)