Paul Pollock (born 25 June 1986) is an Irish Marathon runner from Holywood, Northern Ireland. He competed at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, finishing the marathon in 32nd position, in a time of 2.16.24.[1][2] He was the first Irishman home, followed by his teammates Kevin Seaward and Mick Clohisey. His time was the third-fastest by an Irish runner at an Olympic game. He also competed in the men's marathon at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan.[3]

Paul Pollock
Pollock, Berlin Marathon 2015
Personal information
Born (1986-06-25) June 25, 1986 (age 38)
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Height5 ft 10 in (1.77 m)
Weight9 st 6 lb (132 lb 60 kg)
Sport
Country Ireland
SportAthletics
EventMarathon

He first competed in a major championship in 2004 when representing Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Bendigo, Australia. He finished 4th in the 1500 m. By 2017, he had 15 Irish caps, as well as having represented Northern Ireland on numerous occasions. He has competed on the world stage at each of the major global championships – Commonwealth Games, World Championships, European Championships, and Olympic Games.

In 2018, Pollock qualified to run in the Commonwealth Games marathon, but was forced to withdraw due to injury during training in Australia.[4]

Following his participation in the 2013 World Athletics Championships, he continues to write a monthly blog detailing his races and training. Having originally been a member of Abbey AC (Newtonabbey, Northern Ireland), he now represents both Annadale Striders (Belfast) and Kent AC (England).[5] He continues to train, coach, and compete, alongside working part-time as an Emergency Medicine doctor.

Championships Record

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Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
2004 Commonwealth Youth Games Bendigo, Australia 4th 1500m
2005 European XC Championships Tilburg, Holland 46th XC (Junior)
2008 European XC Championships Brussels, Belgium 57th XC (U23)
2011 European XC Championships Velenje, Slovenia 25th XC
2012 World Half Marathon Kavarna, Bulgaria 34th Half marathon
2013 World Outdoor Championships Moscow, Russia 21st Marathon
European XC Championships Belgrade, Serbia 26th XC
2014 European Outdoor Championships Zurich, Switzerland DNS Marathon
World Half Marathon Copenhagen, Denmark 30th Half marathon
Commonwealth Games Glasgow, Scotland 16th 10000m
European XC Championships Samokov, Bulgaria 23rd XC
2015 European Indoor Championships Prague, Czech Republic Heats 3000m
European XC Championships Hyeres, France 45th XC
2016 Olympic Games Rio, Brazil 32nd Marathon
European Outdoor Championships Amsterdam, Holland 17th Half marathon
World Half Marathon Cardiff, Wales 14th Half Marathon
European XC Championships Chia, Sardinia 36th XC
2017 World Half Marathon Gifu, Japan 42nd Half marathon
World Marathon Beppu-Ōita, Japan 18th Marathon
2018 World Half Marathon Barcelona, Spain 28th Half marathon
IAAF World Half Marathon Championships Valencia, Spain 77th Half marathon
Commonwealth Games Gold Coast, Australia DNS Marathon

References

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  1. ^ "IAAF: Paul POLLOCK Profile". iaaf.org.
  2. ^ "Belfast doctor Paul Pollock taking time out from medicine to run marathons at the Rio Olympics". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 13 July 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  3. ^ "Men's Marathon Results" (PDF). Tokyo 2020. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 August 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Commonwealth Games: Paul Pollock ruled out of Gold Coast marathon". BBC Sport. 14 April 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  5. ^ McCausland, Malcolm (2 January 2018). "Annadale athlete Paul Pollock finishes 2017 on a high". The Irish News. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
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