TODAY is an important day for Marcus O'Sullivan and Sonia O'Sullivan, and may shed additional light on Ireland's prospects of getting among the medals in the World Indoor Championships at Paris in two weeks' time.
Marcus O'Sullivan runs in a 1500 metres race in Stockholm where he needs the encouragement of a big performance to persuade him that current form warrants his journey to the French capital.
Barring a minor catastrophe, Sonia O'Sullivan, who runs in Melbourne, is already committed to running in the first World Indonor Championships to carry cash prizes. Yet, no less than her oft-times training partner, she will be looking for the evidence that her recent defeat in Hobarth was no more than an aberration.
Marcus O'Sullivan, a triple winner of the World Indoor 1500 metres title, ran in Moscow on Tuesday night when he finished third behind William Tanui of Kenya and Britain's John Myock.
Tanui's surge over the last 150 metres carried him to victory in three minutes 39.40 seconds, with Myock and O'Sullivan given times of 3:40.59 and 3:40.67 respectively. Yet, the finish was sufficiently tight to suggest that the Irish runner is not without hope of reversing the placings now.
"I wasn't too unhappy with my run in Moscow and I will be hoping to build on that here (in Stockholm) before competing in Birmingham at the weekend, he said. "The object of the exercise is to develop a racing edge and get competitive before Paris and I'm satisfied I'm doing that."
Sonia O'Sullivan acknowledged the need for a decisive win going into the mile race in the Grand Prix meeting in Melbourne, where the opposition will be made up exclusively of Australians.
It was precisely the same at Hobarth last Sunday when her Parisian preparations came off track when she was beaten by Kate Anderson in a 3 000 metres event.
O'Sullivan says that an inordinately heavy workload in training last week had taken the edge off her speed and concentration and she is hopeful that a complete break from training over the last four days will suffice to redress the situation.
David Matthews, who pulled out of his last two scheduled engagements through injury, is sufficiently recovered to run in the 800 metres in Melbourne, where he, too, has points to prove before BLE nominates its squad for Paris.
Matthews, yet to deliver on his abundant talent in international competition, will not be unaware of the impressive rate of progress attained by his UCD clubmate, James Nolan over the last year.
Nolan's growing maturity has been among the most gratifying developments for the Irish selectors, and he illustrated the point again when he had an impressive win in the 800 metres over the British international, Craig Winrow in a time of one minute 5.22 seconds in Vienna last weekend.
The time was still almost two seconds outside a qualifying time for Paris, but good enough to presage another impressive run when he goes in the 800 metres in the National Indoor Championships at Nenagh next Sunday.
Among those due to oppose him there is Daniel Caulfield, the Corkman who has produced a couple of exceptional runs since returning from the United States, without ever achieving the consistency needed to take him into the top bracket.
Much of the interest in the women's programme at Nenagh will focus on the form of the UCC athlete, Freda Davoren who is entered for the 800 metres and 1500 metres championships.
