Advertisement
Linda Byrne celebrates winning the 2012 Flora Women's Mini Marathon. INPHO/Dan Sheridan
9 days to go

London 2012: Introducing… Linda Byrne

The 25-year-old marathon runner has described the chance to compete at the Olympics as “a dream come true”.

Event: Marathon

Who is she? A 25-year-old marathon runner, Byrne is part of the same athletics club as Ava Hutchison (Dundrum South Dublin).

She has been competing from an early age, running in the World Cross Country Championships at the age of 15, and more recently won the Flora Women’s Dublin Mini Marathon.

Road to London: Last October, Byrne became the first Irish female Olympic marathon A-standard qualifier since 1988, with a time of 2:36.23. Three athletes subsequently matched her feat, with only three Olympic slots available, but her place on the plane was subsequently confirmed last May.

What he says about herself: “To be the first Irish woman home was brilliant. But to get the A standard for London was an absolute dream come true, and to do it in Dublin, with all of my friends and family around me was incredible! I still can’t believe it.” – TwoTube.ie

Medal chances? Despite Byrne’s impressive form, she faces some incredibly stiff competition at the Olympics, so improving her personal best is likely to be her main goal.

If you meet her in a bar, ask her about… Anything related to Sports Science. She graduated from DCU with a degree in the subject.

On the Twitter: Linda doesn’t seem to be on Twitter sadly. Perhaps a Facebook campaign would convince her to join?

If she was a YouTube video, she’d be… ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ by Survivor. Someone who has been running since the age of 10 clearly means business and warrants being implicitly compared to Rocky.

YouTube credit:

Read more of TheScore’s “London 2012: Introducing” series here >

VIDEO: Channel 4′s brilliant Paralympics ad>