No. 16: 60 Seconds with Harrier Leo Morgan

Better read this fast as this guy will be gone in a flash! Blasting out of the blocks this morning is Leo Morgan.

Bio: Leo, I’m 24 and I’m currently a 60 metre & 100 metre sprinter for Clonliffe harriers, and previous 60m club record holder (6.82)

What age did you take up the sport of athletics and why? Only took it up seriously at 21 years old, however, I competed seasonally throughout my school years in the west leinster & leinsters in the 100m/200m/4×100 relay

When and why did you join Clonliffe Harriers? September 2017! I had given up on rugby and other field sports in order to pursue sprinting. I joined Clonliffe Harriers because I was familiar with a lot of the athletes and coaches there prior to joining, also the success of the club was appealing

What is your favourite training workout? For good race results? Blocks, overspeed, fast 120s/150s For fun? Anything that includes jumping, hurdling, throwing or flipping!

And your least favourite? Speed endurance.. yuck.. gotta be done though

What’s your favourite race / athletics meet? IFAM Oordegem or Morton Games! Incredible atmosphere & quality of competitors.

What is your most cherished or proudest moment in athletics? (as athlete and/or coach) Winning Irish University silver & a week later, National Senior Indoor bronze for 60m in 2018

What was your worst injury – and how did you get over it? Torn hamstring in the national u23 100m final recall… Relentless rehab, good food and a whole lot of sleep!

(For a coach or seasoned athlete) What piece of advice would you give an aspiring athlete? Enjoy yourself. No, really, enjoy what you do, have fun and work diligently. Seek to constantly improve yourself in every aspect within the sport & outside the sport. Appreciate both the highs and lows, appreciate the people you meet along the way, coaches, athletes, officials.. friends & memories, that’s what you remember most when looking back, not the times or titles in my opinion. “A happy athlete is a successful athlete.”

Do you have any memorable or funny story from Clonliffe Harriers that you could share? (the censorship board may review!) European clubs last year in Tampere, Stephen Rice & I were in a Finnish night club.. Stephen was bulling through the doors cause he caught a glimpse of the karaoke machine, turns out every song was in Finnish, disappointing is an understatement, so we buys a coke vodka to drown our sorrows.. the DJ started playing more fast paced music, a moshpit formed with the attractive women being the majority of it, this was cool, but they were being hella aggressive, we were stunned, didn’t expect it, Stephen and I got bullied and shoved off the dancefloor shortly after. Weird experience

What’s your favourite meal? A. For competition – Farmers Salad & Nuts! B. Outside competition – Steak & Chips

Who is your sporting ‘hero’? (athletics or other) A. Irish – Brian O’Driscoll B. International – LeBron James + Kobe Bryant

What’s your favourite…? A. Film Lord of The Rings B. Song or Album Song; Lucky you – Eminem + Joyner Lucas Album: Recovery – Eminem C. Book 12 Rules For Life – Jordan Peterson

What’s your favourite holiday destination? Marbella or The Alps

What’s your favourite hobby / activity outside athletics? Adventure sports like snowboarding, reading books, video games, working on personal projects, or just being active outdoors.

If you were Seb Coe what changes would you implement to improve our sport? Resign. Lol jk I’d have a plan to fund more locally based competitions, like Morton Games. Increase the budget to make track meets more streamlined, viewer friendly and fun and you’ll increase the audience. Let people buy beer, play music, have events trackside they can participate in etc.

How would your non-athlete friends describe you? (in 3 words) I don’t have friends, everyone is a competitor to me. But probably “competitive” if I did

What is your next running / athletics goal? (whenever normality returns!) Top 3 finish at next national championships & qualify for European indoor 60m next year.

How are you motivating yourself to continue training at these difficult times? I like it and it makes me feel good, that’s all it takes for me really.