JACK O’Leary, son of Eddie and Wendy of Lynn Lodge Stud, led the Irish men’s team to a silver medal at last Sunday’s European Cross Country Championships in Portugal. Jack (28) finished fifth overall in the 7,500-metre race and was the first Irishman over the line.

It’s been 25 years since Ireland last won senior men’s medals at these championships and, remarkably, the injury-prone Jack was representing Ireland for the first time since 2019.

A member of the Mullingar Harriers club, Jack is the national 5,000-metre bronze medallist and, in a recent interview with Athletics Ireland, he revealed he has been logging 102-mile training weeks in the lead-up to the current road and cross-country season.

It’s no wonder Gigginstown love those cross-country races.