Jim McCourt, a renowned boxer from Belfast, died at the age of 79. Ireland’s lone medal from any event at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo was won by McCourt in the sport of boxing. Only 18 Irish fighters have ever won an Olympic medal, and McCourt is one of them. The Belfast man lost out on a gold medal match following a contentious 3-2 loss to Velikton Barannikov of the Soviet Union in the lightweight semifinal.
After experiencing Olympic heartbreak, McCourt earned a European bronze medal. A year later, in Jamaica, at the Commonwealth Games, he won a gold medal. McCourt was chosen to represent Ireland as the Olympic flag bearer in Mexico, and in 2011 he was inducted into the Irish Amateur Boxing Association Hall of Fame.
Jim McCourt (boxer) cause of death
The legendary boxer from Belfast had been battling sickness recently, but his departure on Monday was unanticipated. He looked fantastic up until yesterday. He had been ill, but he had repeatedly bounced back. He basically passed away in the end really, really rapidly,” the boxer’s daughter Cathy told the BBC.
“My Uncle, My Coach, My Hero, The Great Jim McCourt,” said his nephew Frankie McCourt on Facebook. Goodbye, and peace.