Liam Ball
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (Northern Irish) |
| Born | May 17, 1951 Derry, Northern Ireland |
| Died | June 16, 1984 (aged 33) Castlebar, Northern Ireland |
| Height | 184 cm (6 ft 0 in) |
| Weight | 73 kg (161 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Swimming |
| Strokes | Breaststroke |
| Club | City of Derry SC |
Patrick Liam Ball (17 May 1951 – 16 June 1984) was a swimmer from Northern Ireland that competed at two Olympic Games.[1]
Biography
Ball was born in Derry, Northern Ireland and was a past pupil of St. Columb's College in the city.
He competed for Ireland at both the 1968 Mexico City Sumemr Games and the 1972 Munich Olympic Summer Games, in the Men's 100 metres breaststroke and Men's 200 metres breaststroke at each.[2]
Ball represented the 1966 Northern Irish Team[3] at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica, participating in the 110 yards and 220 yards breaststroke events.[4]
A local hero, Ball appears in a mural on Creggan's Central Drive. The annual Liam Ball International Triathlon, hosted by the North West Triathlon Club at Templemore Sports Complex in Derry, is also named after Ball.
He died aged 33 at his home in Castlebar after a long illness on 16 June 1984.[5][6] He had been manager of the local swimming pool.[7][8][9][10]
References
- ^ "Liam Ball". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2008.
- ^ "Biographical information". Olympedia. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ^ "No surprises in Games Team". Belfast News-Letter. 21 June 1966. p. 11. Retrieved 20 November 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Northern Ireland Kingston 1966". Commonwealth Games Federation. Archived from the original on 18 October 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ^ Connaught Telegraph. (1984). Deaths: Ball, Castlebar and Derry, 16 June 1984, at his residence, Liam, published 20 June 1984, page 2
- ^ Irish Independent. (1984). Deaths: Ball, Castlebar and Derry, 16 June 1984, at his residence, Liam, published 18 June 1984, page 19
- ^ Irish Independent. (1984). Former swim star dies, 18 June, page 9
- ^ Connaught Telegraph. (1984). Liam Ball: An Appreciation, 27 June 1984, page 6
- ^ Irish Times. (1984). Obituary: Mr Liam Ball, 19 June, page 9
- ^ Connaught Telegraph. (1984). The late Liam Ball: Swimmer supreme, 20 June, page 17