Comyns, 28, lives in his native Limerick where he trains with fellow Limerick based athletes Tomás Coman and Gary Ryan. Coached by the husband and wife team of Hayley and Drew Harrison, he also lectures part-time at the University of Limerick, nearby to the National Training Centre.
"I will never forget that feeling of being able to compete with the best in the world. At Stadium Australia the buzz was incredible and I think the team can take that and progress to Edmonton with some confidence." Whilst waiting to touch down in Canada, Comyns has been following the Championship action with great interest.
"Speaking to Tomás, after his heat in the 400m, just builds the excitement up even more. He got on well; I'm very pleased for him. He didn't make it through but managed to get under 46, which shows his incredible commitment and strength. In an extremely hard heat, he turned in a performance he can be proud of. Especially after missing the month of May with injury."
Comyns added, "Protocol doesn't seem to be too strict, and the events are being held in a professional manner. One concern would be the spikes issue. I use Asics but with adidas as the official IAAF sponsor, it seems a little odd. I saw British sprinter Dwayne Chambers on the television and he had to use Ewan Thomas' spikes, which wouldn't be the best race preparation."
Comyns' running career began at age ten. The coaches at his primary school trained him to compete at the Community Games and from there, his love of athletics blossomed. He continued to compete locally and nationally at secondary school, yet the baton was dropped as he entered university.
"Like many athletes, who have pushed themselves early in their lives, I took a bit of a break from sport in College. I lived a little! But seeing people like Gary Nealy, at the Student Games in '96 and other guys, who I competed with at an earlier stage in my careers, attending the major championships brought the buzz of running back to me. There was an upsurge in participation and seeing Ciara (Sheehy) achieve what she did also made my mind up to get back on the track," he added, "Coming under the tutelage of the Harrisons' has focused my attention quite considerably. Their experienced style of coaching has lifted a lot of us down in the NTC."
The Harrisons are not travelling to Edmonton as they have two children to look after, but Comyns knows that they are with him in spirit. "We trained quite hard during the year, so it will hopefully pay off. Twice a day during winter at around ten and six, and in the summer months, just the once. We've been lucky to have such a great facility close by", referring to the Limerick NTC, "there's an excellent indoor arena now and the weights rooms are top class."
Not wishing to draw upon his unique running style, he says he borrows nothing of styles and tactics from other sprinters, but greatly admires the world's best. Asked about the 400m men's event in Edmonton, he says, "It will be quite open I believe, especially with Johnson gone. It was a pity to see Britain's Mark Richardson go as he has done well to come back from his Achilles problem. We will look forward to competing against him in the 4 x 400m. Interestingly, the first three splits of the Irish 4 x 400 are better than those managed by the British side at their recent AAA's. But I wouldn't have a favourite for the 400m final, it's a wide open race."
Comyns recently completed his Masters in Sports Science and now lectures at UL from time to time. "Yeah, that's been going really well. I haven't been at it since January now but it's nice to have something there to get away from the athletics for a while. It's a very interesting course also, so I am quite blessed. On an average week, I would have been lecturing for ten hours. I'm looking forward to getting back to it in the autumn."
With his part-time lecturing post and training facility so close, he counts himself lucky to also live in the comfort of Castletroy. "It's two years now since I started up in Castletroy. Tom Coman shares with a few others and myself. It's not bad, handy for everything we need."
He has gotten used to watching the pennies as he has being refused, yet again, access to a grant from the Irish Sports Council. Something, which he is beginning to get used to. "On a whole, I think they are good to be sending us, I mean they don't have to, but they are. They have sent us over the past four-five years to every kind of destination. We tried again this year for financial aid and brought it to an appeal but had no luck. I would be quite hopeful about next year though."
Whilst the squad will train (mostly warm-ups) once or twice a day this week, one aspect, which saddens Comyns participation, is the lack of media coverage of the Games. "You have to be disappointed. It can only be down to the fact that Sonia isn't here but what most athletic fans would miss would be Greg Allen's commentaries," he continues, "Greg really knows his stuff. I think he will be greatly missed. A really good commentator."
The Irish team is in action in the heats of the 4 x 400m next Saturday night at 2340hrs Irish time.
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