Israel Olatunde putting in the hard yards as he looks to 2023 season

READY, SET...: Israel Olatunde, SPAR European Athletics Championship finalist, pictured at UCD Running Track at the launch of the SPAR College Fund which third level students in Ireland have the chance to win two prizes of €5,000 each to support them this academic year. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

For the fastest Irishman in history, this is a key time of year – a chance to lay the foundation for a summer of speed. Israel Olatunde is now in his third week of training for the 2023 season, which means heavy lifting in the gym and heavy slogging through a local park.

“It's the most important time, really,” he says. "It's not the most glamourous or nicest time to go training, but this is where champions are made, where PBs come from. I must be a bit of a (masochist) – I enjoy those kinds of sessions: the rain, the cold, the mud. I kind of look forward to them. It's just fun to me; it's not hard work.”