New Irish champion adds 'superpower' to his arsenal with victory ahead of Euro cross country bid

Cormac Dalton's long hoped for national title victory has shifted his mindset ahead of Brussels test

Cormac Dalton says his breakthrough national triumph has taken the fear away - and now he's targeting a top 10 for Ireland in Sunday's Euro cross in Brussels.

Dalton, 25, was overjoyed to claim victory in the National senior cross country championships in Gowran just over a fortnight ago, claiming afterwards it was his first success at all-Ireland level in a dozen years.

"I probably miscalculated, it was probably 13 or 14 years," he smiled yesterday.

READ MORE:Dublin Marathon organisers provide route update after criticism over transport disruption

The former Tulsa scholarship athlete - he followed in his mother Amanda's footsteps in going to the States to run - had come into the race targeting a top three finish.

However there is no miscalculating what the win has meant to the Mullingar Harriers star in terms of confidence and a crucial change of mindset.

Dalton explained: "It does reconfirm that when you're in a race it's not just about how do I survive but you're thinking, 'how can I actually beat everybody'.

"That's a very nice feeling to have back because winning races has been so rare because of the quality of fields we've had over the last 10 years, especially in America.

"It's just really nice to be in a race and to have your wits about you in that way.

"It's about having that feeling that you can run as fast as you can from the start and still be in the race and competing, like when you were a kid. It's obviously different now with tactics but the feeling is the same.

"It's almost a relief. It has been, 'when is it going to be our turn'. I've always enjoyed that race and hopefully I'll win it plenty more times, but it's not like it's dragging off the back of me anymore.

"You're not afraid anymore, going into races - it's more that you hope people will fear you. I've been that guy in races but now it's can I do something big here.

"This is what we've been building towards for the last 12 years. It's definitely a mindset shift.

"It's a superpower when you're racing to feel you can beat this person and that person, that you can give it a go rather than just being there and being afraid."

Dalton, who now works in pharmaceuticals for FPK Engineering, could have stayed in the States but wants to give the European circuit a whirl.

Finishing second to Brian Fay in the national track championships this year was motivation, and now he wants to adopt the winning mindset that the Raheny Shamrocks runner will bring to Brussels.

This will be Dalton's third Euro cross - his first, in Dublin, saw him finish 28th "on tired legs" after the NCAA season as Ireland took fourth place overall. He was ill in Turin last year when the team finished down the field.

"I’m hoping to go for the top 10," he said. "I think that’s within the scope. Each race this season has been good, I think there’s a bit more there and my goal on Sunday is to make sure there’s nothing left in the tank.

"At the end of the day you're going out and giving it what you have, it's just another race but on a bigger stage.

"But this time feels nice as I feel comfortable and feel like I belong here and I should be going out in that top 20 and being really involved for the whole race, hopefully.

"That's a nice feeling."

Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.