In a tough “links” cross country course in Wales, Declan O’Connell had the race of his life representing Ireland and Clarin College Athenry in the SIAB Schools International Cross Country.

Declan finished a remarkable 9th overall and 2nd Irishman. You can see a clip from his race below:

To give an idea of how well Declan ran – he had the fight of his life to finish 7th in the all-Ireland Schools Cross Country to qualify for the team. Granted, he wasn’t feeling 100% that day having just recently recovered from COVID, but to advance 5 positions from 7th to 2nd in the Irish team is an extraordinary result. His performance helped his Irish Teammates into Second place overall so he came back with a Silver medal for his efforts. He thoroughly enjoyed the banter and camraderie of the trip with all the Irish lads and the athletes from the other countries. It’s good to get to know them as their paths will likely cross a lot over the coming years!! A weekend he won’t forget easily, and a great experience for this popular and talented athlete.