“At OTFA’s, I didn’t really have much of a goal. I knew I was in good shape, but I didn’t really know how good,” O’Sullivan says.

“With about a kilometre to go, I realized I was running with some of the top guys in the province. I pushed really hard to the finish and ended up finishing 13th against kids the same age and a year older than me. I think I surprised a lot of people, but most of all I surprised myself.”

Not only that, O’Sullivan also led his three older Physi-Kult teammates to a bronze-medal finish against 16 other teams.

“A remarkable accomplishment, considering that, three weeks earlier, he was still too weak to even make it to the provincial high school championships,” Boyd says.

“I have rarely seen such poise and determination in such a young athlete. When most kids would have abandoned the season, and perhaps even the sport, Dylan hung in there and produced a fantastic run in what turned out to be his last real opportunity of the season.”

As a coach, Boyd has produced some of the country’s finest runners, including Kingston’s own Dylan Wykes, recently named Canada’s fastest marathon runner for 2008. In his eyes, O’Sullivan is the ideal candidate for long-term success in the sport.

“Distance runners can continue to develop into their early- to mid-30s — if they have the patience, focus and determination,” Boyd says.

“In the short time I have worked with him, Dylan (O’Sullivan) has already shown the mental and physical wherewithal to get the absolute most out of his natural ability, which means he should go far.”

While no one can say how far, Boyd figures O’Sullivan’s goal of getting a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1 scholarship is a very realistic one.

“Once he is 100-per-cent healthy, I expect him to surprise a lot of people,” he adds.

O’Sullivan says he doesn’t really have any idols at the moment. However, “I definitely look up to Dylan Wykes, who is also in the Physi-Kult running group,” he says.

“I’m going through the same process that he went through when he was younger, so I would love to follow in his footsteps and eventually represent Canada someday.”

The Athlete of the Week runs every week and is open to amateur athletes, ages 19 or under, in the greater Kingston area. Winning entrants receive a one-hour personal training session from Kingston Body Management and a T-shirt from Kingston This Week. They are automatically entered in the Athlete of the Month contest, to be decided by voters online at http://www.kingstonthisweek.com/. The winning athlete of the month receives a package of three one-hour training sessions or a one-hour training session for his or her entire team.

To nominate an athlete, list the athlete’s name, age, school, team, and a few sentences about his or her recent accomplishments. Please provide a high-resolution photo with contact information. All nominations should be sent to tiffany@kingstonthisweek.com or in person to 607 Gardiners Rd.