International Call-Up for Jack Miskella!
Best of luck to Jack Miskella who competes in his first Irish international this weekend in Antrim. Jack was selected for the Irish Universities team that will be taking on Scotland on Saturday in the annual international track & field meet between the 2 countries.
He becomes the 22nd athlete to come through the juvenile ranks of the club and gain selection for international duty. To represent your country in any sport is one of the highest honours a sportsperson can aspire to so well done Jack on a fabulous achievement.
Sometimes when people hear of international selection, they don’t realize the effort and commitment it takes to get to that level. Jack started running first way back in primary school where the earliest record on our website (the history of the club!) shows him placing 72nd in the 3rd/4th class 800m at the Galway Primary Schools Cross Country finals in 2008. The followed year he ran 2.19.96 in the U12 Boys 600m at the Connacht Indoors 2009 and placed 91st in the 5th/6th class 1000m at the Galway Primary Schools Cross Country finals in 2009 and 98th in 2010.
Jack won’t mind me saying his primary school performances didn’t set any headlines and he is in good company … as I can recall listening to an interview with 1 of Ireland’s greatest ever milers Marcus O’Sullivan who won 3 World Indoor 1500m titles and became the first man to run 100 sub-4 minute miles but says that when in first year in Secondary School he was considered too small and not good enough to be selected for his school’s cross country team.
Jack dropped the sport in secondary school but took it back up in TY year and has made mind-blowing improvements since then and is posed to break the 2 minute barrier for 800m any day soon plus the 4 minute barrier for the 1500m.
Most of the 736 participants in the recent 5k Series race held in Craughwell can testify to Jack’s talent as they watched his back fade into the distance when he blazed to victory in the men’s race in an exceptional time of 16:37. His obvious talent for middle and long distance running is honed by incredible dedication to training and his international selection is a very well-deserved recognition of this.
Well done Jack!