Sonia O'Sullivan - 2000 (Sydney)

2000 (Sydney)

Following her spectacular comeback in the international athletics arena in 1998, which included winning both the 5000 m and 10000 m at the European Championships, Sonia O'Sullivan took a break from competition for most of 1999, during which time she gave birth to her daughter, Ciara, on 10 July 1999. O'Sullivan returned to training 10 days after her daughter's birth, and on 10 October, showed she was back in form by finishing a half marathon in 70:05. In June she continued this road form, winning Dublin's Women's Mini Marathon. However, it didn't take her long to return to the track, with the prospect of competing at her third Olympic Games in September 2000 in Sydney. O'Sullivan competed in the Australian domestic outdoor season during the European winter, recording a fastest time over 5000 m of 15:10.24 at Sydney on 13 February 2000. Back in Europe, she produced a number of quality performances in her preparation for the Olympics. The Weltklasse meet in Zurich on 11 August produced the finest 3000 m race of the year, with the first six placings registering the six fastest times of 2000. O'Sullivan finished a close second in this race to Romanian Gabriela Szabo in a time of 8:27.58. At Sydney, on 22 September, O'Sullivan won her 5000 m heat with a season's best of 15:07.91. In the final three days later, after an entralling sprint finsh, O'Sullivan won the silver medal behind Szabo in a National Record 14:41.02. She became only the second Irish woman to win an Olympic Medal, after Michelle Smith and the first Irish Track and Field Olympic Medalist since John Treacy took Silver in Los Angeles in 1984. In the 10000 m final, held on 30 September, O'Sullivan set another personal best and national record when finishing sixth in 30:53.37 performance. Shortly after the Olympics, She won the Grand Prix Final 5000 m. Following the Olympics, O'Sullivan made her marathon debut, winning the Dublin marathon in a time of 2:35:42 on 30 October.