Ireland's Brian Fay at ease in discomfort

A glance across his results shows an athlete seemingly immune to under-performance. His races tend to alternate between solid and superb

DIGGING IN: Brian Fay competing in last year’s Senior Men’s 10,000m during the European Cross Country Championships at the Sport
Ireland Campus in Dublin. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

Those who know Brian Fay will tell you there are two sides to him. There’s Fay the person, the 24-year-old Dubliner with choir-boy manners and a quiet, calm modesty that belies his ability. Then there’s Fay the athlete, a ruthless, chip-on-his-shoulder competitor who looks at his rivals, no matter how accomplished, and asks why the hell he shouldn’t beat them.

During Fay’s years at Belvedere College, PE teacher and athletics coach Ronan Duggan got to know both. “There’s the guy who can come in and chat about West Ham, who always asks how you are, what’s going on in your life, which, for a runner, is rare,” says Duggan. “Then, in races, you see this absolute animal who can put himself through serious, serious pain and churn out seriously classy performances.”