We speak to an up-and-coming distance athlete who has not had a typical route to representing Great Britain.

Michael Clark summed up his European Cross Country debut last month as “bittersweet”. Losing a shoe a little more than a minute into the under-20 race could have ended his day, but instead the 17-year-old fought through the rest of the course to finish 18th against a largely older field. Despite running in clear discomfort and with a foot torn to shreds, his effort helped secure the British team a silver medal.

It was a fitting way to close the 2025 season, one that was full of milestones. Clark won the English Schools 3000m, represented Great Britain & Northern Ireland at the European Under-20 Championships, and claimed victory at the European Cross trials in Liverpool. None of that seemed likely three years ago, when he was still living in Hong Kong before making the move to the UK.

Born in Japan to a British mother and Australian father, his route into athletics has been far from typical. Having spent much of his life in boarding schools – he’s still in one now – Clark’s experience has been very different from many of his team-mates. But, with more independence to come once he leaves school, his trajectory suggests his best performances may still be to come.

How did you get into athletics?

I actually started off with triathlon. I didn't live in England until I was 14 years old – I lived in Hong Kong – so I'm still quite new to England and how it all works but, as a young kid, I was always the fastest in school so my mum decided to put me in some fun little 5km mountain race. I was six at the time and ended up winning the race, which had adults in it, so that's when my mum realised that I had a little bit of talent and she should probably help me unlock that. 

She put me in a little triathlon group and then, from the age of around eight to 14, I did triathlon and ended up representing Hong Kong regionally, which I was really proud of at the time. When we finally decided to move over to England, I decided I would just stick to my best out of the three disciplines, which was running.

I did a parkrun and, over time, I just chipped away and went sub 18 without being in a running group. I ended up winning the county champs and I was still not in a club. I then got scouted by David Pring at City of Norwich Athletics Club (CONAC) and he began to incorporate some proper training. A little under four months later, I ran pretty close to the under-15 British record for 5km and that’s when things properly kicked off.

What is boarding school like for a talented athlete your age?

When I compare it to someone who could be at home, it is very disadvantageous. I’m really lucky that my school is quite lenient and they give me all the support I need. They allow me to go off campus to do my training with my CONAC group in the city. 

But, when it comes to things like food, nutrition, it’s very limited as it comes down to what the school offers. Sleep is impacted too, obviously everyone has to wake up for school but for me I have to wake up and have breakfast at school which takes up a bit more time. It’s hard but I make it work, the school gives me the most amount of support that they can and I am very grateful for that.

What was your mindset going into Liverpool?

I knew it would be very tough, but at the same time I knew that I had the fitness and the mindset as well. I was ready for the battle and the race. I knew from the start that Will Rabjohns would be the guy who would be very hard to beat, but I always look at my previous accomplishments before I go into a race and I thought: “I’ve represented Great Britain, why can’t I win this race?”

I knew I was in great shape from my previous track season. Obviously, I had to really work hard to beat Rabjohns, but I had a sneaky feeling that I knew I would win.

What did it mean to you to represent Britain for cross country?

The fact that it's cross country made me a lot prouder of myself because, last season, I got battered by the likes of Alex Lennon so to get another GB vest in a different discipline is really good.

Why do you love the longer distances on track? 

For most people, they think longer distances on the track are more tedious and boring but I think the fact that you get to be on the track for a longer period of time is why I like it the most. Obviously it's just based on general fitness and my fitness is more aerobic than it is based on speed. 

I've always loved the 5000m, that's how I started off in the first place with parkrun. However, I would not like to go up to 10,000m, especially on the track. Even for me, that's too much – 25 laps on the track does not sound very fun to me. 

Who do you look up to?

Jakob Ingebrigtsen. He knows what he's doing and he's very determined. He knows he's the best and he speaks like he's the best. In his interviews, he's right in the middle between being confident and being a bit on a cocky side, but that's what I think the sport needs.

You need to say how dominant you are in your field and Jakob can say what he wants and then he goes out and backs himself as well. 

What do you think you've learned from athletics?

Everyone says have fun but, at the same time, you need to have fun and perform to the best of your ability. I'm the type of person who would just get nervous and break down if it was left up to me. But, when I run, I remind myself who I am, what I've done and what I can do as well and that all helps me focus and stay calm before the race.

Factfile

Age: 17

Club: Norwich AC

Coach: David Pring

Events: 3000m/5000m

PBs: 8:09.43/14:08.97

Michael Clark competes for Britain in the under-20 race at the World Cross Country Champs in Tallahassee on January 10.