James ‘Jimmy’ O’Brien was born in 1938. Following in his father, Ike’s, footsteps, he joined Port Talbot YMCA Harriers and won his first race in 1950 at the tender age of twelve. His athletic prowess developed rapidly making him a consistent winner in the West Wales Cross Country League and he represented the county on numerous occasions.
He won the Welsh YMCA Cross Country Championships many times and was a regular for Wales at the British YMCA Championships. He also won the Welsh Cross Country Championships and represented Wales in many international events. As a marathon runner, he was part of the Port Talbot team which won the Welsh Marathon Championship in 1963 and 1964.
Jim continued to compete and was equally successful as he progressed through the veteran age groups. Indeed, he showed many a younger runner a clean pair of heels! He gained many Welsh Masters titles and represented Welsh Masters at both cross country and on the track. His athletic career was brought to a halt by several health problems, but he remains a local running legend to this day.
— Written by John Davies