Denis Horgan (18 May 1871 – 2 June 1922) was a champion Irishathlete and weight thrower, born in Banteer, County Cork, who competed mainly in the shot put.[1]
In 1906, Horgan set the world's record for the 28 pound shot, with a distance of 35 feet, 4.5 inches at the Ancient Order of Hibernians games held at Celtic Park in Queens, New York.[3]
He competed for Great Britain in the 1908 Summer Olympics he London in the shot put, where he won the silver medal.[1]
Horgan won a total 42 shot put titles during his athletic career, including 28 Irish championships,[citation needed] and one American championship.[citation needed] Horgan was "usually so superior to his fellow competitors that he seldom trained in any sort of systematic way, yet he showed a marked consistency of performance, in all conditions, over a period of twenty years."[8]
He emigrated to America, where he worked as a police officer.[citation needed] Whilst attempting to rescue a fellow Irishman, he was severely stabbed and left for dead.[citation needed] After he recovered, he returned to Ireland, married, and settled in Crookstown.[9]
^Katchen, Alan (2008). Abel Kiviat, National Champion: Twentieth-Century Track & Field and the Melting Pot. Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press. ISBN978-0-8156-0939-1.
