Sonia. The Olympics come and go but she stays with us. Keith Duggan reports from the Olympics in Athens.
Through the week the dispiriting story had been of Irish Olympians arriving and vanishing like moths in a flame. On the first night of athletics, that was the abiding theme until the tall familiar figure appeared on the track.
As the clock chimed midnight over Athens, Sonia arrived on perhaps the most beautiful stadium she has ever graced. Still our most fervent hope, still our pride. And still leaving us guessing.
It was ever so, since she gallantly ran fourth and into Irish hearts away back in the Barcelona Olympics of 1992. She was born for the drama of these humid summer nights and her appearance under the bright lights inevitably brought carried echoes of Atlanta, and of Sydney.
By the time O'Sullivan's 5,000 metres heat took place, the crowd had thinned out except for clusters of Tricolours draped around the stadium. She started brightly, leading from the first lap, the familiar stride long and defiant. The heat settled into a slow and tight rhythm and with four laps to go, O'Sullivan still seemed perfectly poised for comfortable qualification.
It would not be Sonia, however, if it were straightforward. Over the following 1,000 metres she dropped back and clung on in a lonely seventh place. Then, after the bell, she kicked for home as we have seen her do countless times over the years. Meseret Defar of Ethiopia finished first in a time of 14.52.
Sonia ran 14.59, her second best time of the year. More importantly, the time was good enough to claim one of the five fastest loser places. She will run her fourth Olympic final on Monday night.
Afterwards, O'Sullivan spoke of the heat - "like jumping into an oven" - but also of her satisfaction in making the final, even if by the fastest loser route. "I had plan B out there tonight and I was delighted to put it into action."
Of the Irish contingent in the stadium, Sonia said it was "fantastic to have such support".