Christopher O'Donnell (born 17 May 1998) is an Irish track and field athlete competing in sprinting events. He represented Ireland at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the Mixed 4 x 400m relay where he was part of the first ever Irish team to run in an Olympic final, and was also part of the team who reached the final of the 2022 and 2023 World Championships. He is the current Irish U20 record holder in the 400 metres, with a time of 46.54, set on 22 July 2017 at the European U20 Championships, where he finished 6th in the final. His personal best of 45.26 seconds sits joint-2nd on the Irish all-time list and he is a 5-time National 400m champion.
Biography
Early life and career
Born in Sligo, Christopher O'Donnell grew up primarily as a football player, representing his local side Benbulben FC and the Sligo/Leitrim Youth Schoolboys League. Operating mainly as a winger, O'Donnell was selected to represent the Sligo/Leitrim Youth Schoolboys League at the prestigious SFAI Kennedy Cup tournament in Limerick in June 2012. Described as a "formerly deft underage footballer", his raw speed on the football pitch was gaining attention and was encouraged to start competing in track and field sprint events for his local club North Sligo AC. He attempted to juggle both sports for a couple of years before eventually deciding to focus his efforts full-time on track and field at the age of 16 in 2015.
In 2014, coached by former Irish International athlete Roddy Gaynor, O'Donnell earned his first International vest at the SIAB Schools International in Cardiff, competing in the 100 metres and the 4x100 metres relay. In the relay he was part of the silver medal-winning team which finished with a time one-hundredth of a second outside of the Irish U18 record. He went on to gain another International call up that year, competing in the same events at the Celtic Games U18 International in Dublin, winning two silver medals. He won three national titles that year in the U17 category in the 100m and 200m, narrowly missing out on the Championship records in both events outdoors. In 2015, O'Donnell had his first taste of the 400 metres, and despite finishing runner-up in the national U18 indoors, his time of 50.25 was under the previous Championship record held by Brian Gregan. He went on to go one better in the outdoor equivalent, while smashing the previous record with a time of 48.70 which still stands to this day. He won double gold at the Celtic Games U18 International in the 400m and in Grangemouth.
In 2016 he was prolific at national underage level, winning the indoor and outdoor U19 and U20 400m, along with the outdoor U19 200m, beating the Championship record with a time of 21.59 (+0.7) which is still standing. He also still holds the Ulster schools 400m record of 48.57 which was achieved on his way to winning his first senior schools 400m title. He was also part of the national U20 winning team with his club. In 2017 he successfully defended his indoor U20 400m title along with the senior schools title, where he was 0.12 seconds off the record. That summer seen a big breakthrough over 400m where he won his race at the IFAM International in Oordegem in 46.92, which was an "A" standard for the European U20 Championships in Grosseto. The Sligo athlete competed magnificently at the Championships, comfortably winning his heat before winning a competitive semi-final in a personal best time. He again beat his personal best in the final, finishing 6th in 46.54, which is currently the Irish U20 record. He gained his first senior International vest that year, finishing 2nd in the relay at the European Team Championships First League in Vaasa.