ATHLETICS: In Lausanne this evening Sonia O'Sullivan takes to the track for her first such race of the season, primarily to test her legs after a month's altitude training at St Moritz, but also to learn a little about the opposition for next month's World Championships in Paris. Ian O'Riordan reports.
The Athletissima meeting has attracted its usual range of high-quality athletes, and the women's 3,000 metres is no exception. Lining up alongside O'Sullivan will be 12 of the leading Africans, including all three reigning World Cross Country champions: Edith Masai of Kenya (short course) and Ethiopians Werknesh Kidane (long course) and Tirunesh Dibaba (junior).
O'Sullivan will find it difficult to kick-start her track season on a winning note. Kidane displayed impressive form in Oslo last Saturday night, taking second place over 5,000 metres behind compatriot Berhane Adere (who clocked 14 minutes, 29.32 seconds, the second-fastest time ever). Dibaba took third in that race, setting a world junior record of 14:39.94.
O'Sullivan will be eager for a fast run and the organisers have ensured that by including two Kenyan pacemakers in the field.
It seems likely the meeting record of 8:41.99, set by Portugal's Fernanda Ribeiro in 1995, will fall. And the 3,000 metres is probably still O'Sullivan's best distance on the track. Yet her true target for the season remains the 5,000 metres at the World Championships, some eight weeks away.
O'Sullivan will continue to fine-tune her speed on home soil next Saturday when she runs the 1,500 metres at the Cork City Sports at the Mardyke. Yesterday the organisers were finalising the fields for the 51st running of the event, and after O'Sullivan's appearance, the spotlight will fall on the men's 400 metres and Belfast's Paul McKee. He is set to renew his rivalry with Britain's Jamie Baulch, with whom he somewhat controversially shared the World Indoor bronze medal in Birmingham last March.
Athletics Ireland have confirmed the other Irish team members for Cork, and included is Karen Shinkins in the 400 metres. Having had a puzzling start to her season at the European Cup last month, she is searching for the form that saw her win the European Indoor bronze last year.
Athletics Ireland team, Cork City Sports: Men - P Brizzel (100m); G Ryan (200m); J Nolan (800m); G Turnbull (1,500m); C Lombard (5,000m); A O'Dwyer (High jump); R O'Brien (Pole vault); Women - A Boyle (100m); C Sheehy (200m); K Shinkins (400m); S O'Sullivan (1,500m); U English (3,000m); D O'Rourke (100m hurdles); S Heveran (High jump); A Furlong (Long jump).
