Odin Phillips claims silver medal at national cross country titles

It was a weekend to remember for Our Lady of Lourdes student Odin Phillips as he made the trip to Canberra to compete in the National Cross Country Championships. Read about the young runner’s inspiring journey here.

Our Lady of Lourdes student Odin Phillips with his cross country medals.

Toowoomba’s Odin Phillips made the trip of a lifetime to represent Queensland at the National Cross Country Championships where he claimed second in the team’s competition.

Phillips is a multi-class athlete with Cerebral Palsy who has gone from strength to strength in the world of cross country over the last 12 months.

Despite being just 10 years old, Phillips’ commitment and dedication in the lead up to the event was unrivalled – waking up at 5am every Saturday for training.

After finding it difficult at first, he has now become accustomed to training with his dad Ben each week in the early hours of the morning.

“My dad helped me train and get better every time and now I am used to it,” Phillips said.

“We normally do three or four kilometres running around our area where our home is.

“I run two kilometres for competition but I train by running three or four so I don’t get a stitch.”

He also said one of his favourite things about running is getting to train alongside his dad each week.

Phillips already has his fair share of accolades as he competed in the Darling Downs regional cross country event where he claimed victory, before finishing third with his Darling Downs team at state level.

At the national titles, he finished seventh overall in the individual event for his age group after an incredible run where he shaved 31 seconds off his best time.

Despite not placing at the individual level, his efforts were enough to help the Queensland Under-10 multi-class boys team take home the silver medal for their age group.

Phillips said he cherished the opportunity to travel to the nation’s capital to represent his state.

“It made me think how spoiled I am to go that far and run with people I have never ran with before,” he said.

He was also delighted to take home the silver medal after a strong carnival.

“It was pretty amazing, I felt so proud,” Phillips said.

After taking a break following the national titles, he is back in training and has his sights set on reaching the pinnacle of his sport by representing Australia at the Olympics in the future.

“I am back training and my goal is to get to the Olympics,” Phillips said.

“I am going to try and build my distance running so when I am a teenager, I will maybe start running 15 kilometres.”