Marcus O'Sullivan (born in Cork, Ireland on 22 December 1961) is an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

retired middle-distance

runner Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

. He competed for Ireland at four

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The ina ...

. After Steve Scott and John Walker, he is the third all-time by total of sub-4 minute miles run over the course of his career, at 101.

Running career

Although he wasn't planning to go to any of Ireland's universities, O'Sullivan's running encouraged him to go to

Villanova University Villanova University is a private Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Augustinians in 1842 and named after Saint Thomas of Villanova. The university is the oldest Catholic university in Pen ...

at 19. While competing on a collegiate level, he worked towards a degree in accounting and later attained an MBA and a CPA. The three World Indoor 1500 metre Championships won by O'Sullivan were in 1987 (Indianapolis), 1989 (Budapest), and 1993 (Toronto). In his victories in 1987 and 1989, he set championship records. He was 4th in the 1991

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsul ...

world indoor championships. At the

1985 European Athletics Indoor Championships The 1985 European Athletics Indoor Championships were held at the Peace and Friendship Stadium, Piraeus, Attica, Greece, on 2 and 3 March 1985. Medal summary Men Women Medal table Participating nations * (10) * (5) * (13) * (4) * (21 ...

, O'Sullivan won a silver medal in the 1500m. O'Sullivan qualified for four Olympic Games for Ireland: 1984, 1988, 1992, and 1996, at both 800 metres and 1500 metres. He reached the 1500 metre finals at the

1988 Seoul Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

. He set an indoor 1500 metres world record of 3:35.4 on 10 February 1989, and was generally regarded as a better competitor running indoors. This is evidenced by the fact that O'Sullivan won the prestigious

Wanamaker Mile The Wanamaker Mile is an indoor mile race held annually at the Millrose Games in New York City. It was named in honour of department store owner Rodman Wanamaker. The event was first held in 1926 inside Madison Square Garden, which was the venue for ...

in Madison Square Garden's

Millrose Games The Millrose Games is an annual indoor athletics meet (track and field) held each February in New York City. They started taking place at the Armory in Washington Heights in 2012, after having taken place in Madison Square Garden from 1914 to 2011 ...

six times (1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, and 1996). His personal best for the mile, which was set indoors in 1988, is 3:50.94. His personal best for the 1500 metres, which was set outdoors in 1996, is 3:33.61. O'Sullivan, along with Irish runners

Ray Flynn Raymond Leo Flynn (born July 22, 1939) is an American politician who served as 52nd Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts from 1984 until 1993. He also served as United States Ambassador to the Holy See from 1993–1997. Flynn was an All-American c ...

Eamonn Coghlan Eamonn Christopher Coghlan (born 21 November 1952) is an Irish former track and field athlete who specialised in middle distance track events and the 5,000 metres. He is a three-time Olympian and former world champion in the 5,000 m. He ser ...

, and

Frank O'Mara Frank O’Mara (born 1960 in Limerick) is a former Irish runner. A three-time Olympian, he was twice World Indoor Champion in the 3000m. O’Mara has post-graduate degrees from the University of Arkansas and had a successful career in the wirele ...

established the still standing world record in the 4 x 1 mile relay, when they combined in Dublin on 17 August 1985 to run 15:49.08. O'Sullivan now runs the RunningWorks cross country camp during the summer, and is the head coach of Villanova cross country and track and field. He was coached by Tom Donnelly of Haverford College and advised

Bob Kennedy Robert Daniel Kennedy (August 18, 1920 – April 7, 2005) was a right fielder/ third baseman, manager and executive in Major League Baseball. From 1939 to 1957, Kennedy played for the Chicago White Sox (1939–42, 1946–48, 1955–56, 1957) ...

in the later years before Kennedy's retirement. In addition to his ties to American record holder Bob Kennedy, O'Sullivan has coached elite professional runners such as Canadian indoor world silver medalist

Carmen Douma-Hussar Carmen Douma-Hussar (born March 12, 1977) is a Canadian middle-distance runner. She is a member of the Guelph Track and Field Club and is coached by Marcus O'Sullivan and Albert Tschirhart. She was the silver medalist in the 1500 m at ...

, and New Zealander

Adrian Blincoe Adrian Blincoe (born 4 November 1979 in Auckland) is a New Zealand middle-distance runner. In July 2008 he set the New Zealand record in the 5000m, running 13:10.19. Blincoe represented New Zealand in the 2008 Summer Olympics at Beijing in the ...

. He has a daughter named Laura O'Sullivan, who attends the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and a son, Christopher O'Sullivan who attends Villanova University . He also runs a summer camp called Running Works, along with Cricket Batz. It takes place in

Canadensis, PA Canadensis is an unincorporated community in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. Canadensis is home to a few small shops, restaurants and churches. The "crossroads", which is the intersection of Pennsylvania Routes 447 and 390, is the center of the comm ...

, and is a one-week sleep away camp where High School cross-country runners stay in cabins .

References

External links

*
Athlete Profile Marcus 0'Sullivan
''All-Athletics''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Osullivan, Marcus 1961 births Living people Athletes from the Republic of Ireland Irish male middle-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of Ireland Villanova Wildcats men's track and field athletes People educated at Coláiste Chríost Rí Goodwill Games medalists in athletics World Athletics Indoor Championships winners Competitors at the 1990 Goodwill Games