Beyond the finish line — Theon O’Connor
Theon O’Connor
KNOWN for being Campion’s top competitor at Champs, Theon O’Connor made news after being involved in what was described as a highly physical Class Three 800m race in 2002.
O’Connor slipped from first position to the bronze medal whilst closing in on the finish.
That disappointment did not stop Theon O’Connor from establishing himself as a premier athlete.
In 2003, O’Connor shattered Aldwyn Sappleton’s seven-year record in 800m for Boys’ Class Three to set a new mark of 1:58:24 seconds. It was this performance that confirmed O’Connor’s status as unbeatable.
He maintained his form, and defeated the field again to take the same event in Class Two a year later. Brandon Morrison of Jamaica College came between him and securing a maiden 1,500m win at Champs 2005, but O’Connor returned the favour in the 800m to maintain his dominance in the two-lap event.
O’Connor decided to concentrate on his favoured 800m, and recorded fourth and fifth straight wins in the event in 2006 and 2007, to rubber-stamp his legacy at Champs.
He is currently a community director at Georgetown University, where he completed a degree in public relations and corporate communications.
