Some professional athletes have illustrious careers with nothing but gold and fulsome praise to show for their efforts. These Midas-touched types are a rarity however. Other athletes are lost to obscurity, having held hopes for greatness that were never realized. Still others maintain a low-key yet loyal following through their courage, determination and drive, no matter how many medals they receive. Sonia O’Sullivan was one such.
Born November 28, 1969, in Cobh, County Cork, Ireland, this student-turned-pro athlete did not distinguish herself with gold medals galore, but was a source of fierce spirit and pride as befits her heritage. In 1987, she won a sports scholarship to Villanova University (one of the country’s largest and oldest private Catholic universities), where she studied accountancy.
Her very first international event was in 1990, at the European Championship at Split (Croatia). She finished only in 11th place in the women’s 3000-meter, but would not let this rough start deter her. Between the years of 1990 and 1993, Sonia put in some of the best times at the races in which she competed. First among these was a 5000-meter race in Boston where she set a new world record for an indoor event. In July of 1991, she placed first in the 1500-meter, winning the gold at the World Student Games at Sheffield (England). She also took home the silver for the 3000-meter during the same event. In 1992, she set six Irish records (an astounding five of these in the course of only eleven days) in races ranging from 800 to 5000-meters.
In many, she bested her own personal times, making her all the more remarkable. During the Summer Olympics in Barcelona, she came ‘so’ close to winning a bronze in 1992 in the final race of the 3000-meter run. Her fourth place win was made all the more bitter when the silver medalist from that race, Tatyana Doroskikh (a now retired Ukrainian runner representing Ukraine and the former USSR) tested positive for officially banned drugs the following year. Happily, at the tail end of the year, she was able to put her failure in the Olympics behind her by winning first place in the Grand Prix Final in the 5000-meter race.
Despite exceedingly stiff competition from the Chinese in 1993 during the course of multiple events, Sonia continued to put forth a strong effort. After the rocky start where she took fourth place in the 3000-meter race, she took home the silver six days later for the 1500. The very next week, she would set the season’s best time in Germany, which afforded her the honor of ranking third in the world for women’s middle distance in the 5000-meter run. 1993 came to a close with a fantastic second place in not only the Grand Prix Final 3000-meter and the mile, but she also took second place overall in the women’s competition.
Things would only continue to improve for O’Sullivan, as in 1994, she set the fastest time in four individual events: the 1500, 2000, 3000-meter and 1 mile races. She also set the second fastest time in the 5000-meter. At an event in Scotland, she broke the world record for the 2000-meter in July, and that very next week she broke the 3000-meter European record. These fantastic victories moved her to fifth place in the world rankings (remember the Chinese were stiff competition for her, and took up three of the slots). Later, at a race in Nice, France, she placed with a personal best of 3:59:10 in the 1500-meter race – this succeeded in pushing her up to the fourth all-time world rank. Many of the records set by her during the course of 1993 were also Irish records in their own right, which further increased her renown on the Emerald Isle and around the world.
1995 was equally a banner year for O’Sullivan, affording her with many strong, if not record finishes in races ranging between 1500 and 5000 meters. 1996 however saw her first major disappointment since her fourth place finish in Barcelona in 1992. Despite initially favorable odds, she became sick, and was unable to finish most of the races she took part in as her health suffered. Disappointment would continue to hound her for a time, interspersed with high points from 1996 to 1997. 1998 saw another resurgence in this bold and stubborn athlete, and she has continued to persevere, even having found time to start a family, giving birth to healthy daughters in 2000 and 2001 respectively. 2006 saw her apply for and receive dual citizenship in Ireland and Australia. This allowed her to continue training in the latter country and represent it in a limited number of events while representing Ireland in a majority of events in which she took place.
Some athletes are media darlings, rising and falling in popularity as the opinions of the public change. Others eschew such publicity, living for the sport, which they have chosen rather than for which magazine cover they get pasted on. Thus they win or lose on their own merits, and Sonia O’Sullivan has a long way to go yet.