SONIA O'SULLIVAN'S Olympic challenge was accelerated on two fronts in Nice last evening when her winning time of eight minutes 35.43 seconds represented her fastest 3,000 metres run of the season to date. Earlier, she had seen Hassiba Boulmerka, her great rival for the Olympic 1,500 metres title in Atlanta, fold in dramatic style when she finished only seventh in the race won by Portugal's Carla Sacramento.
Taken in tandem, the results augur well for the big Atlanta double for O'Sullivan, who takes her last pre-Olympic test against Catherina McKiernan in London over 5,090 metres tomorrow.
In a 3,000 metres field devalued by the absence of many genuine contenders for the 5,000 metres title, the Irish woman may have surprised even herself by taking almost four seconds off her seasonal best time, recorded in Oregon in May.
That she succeeded was down in part to the aggressive running of the Spaniard, Julia Vaquero, a comparatively recent recruit from cross-country competition who took the lead from O'Sullivan on the third lap and was still at the front of the race at the 2,000 metres mark, reached in 5:47.
Try as she would, however, she could never open up a decisive lead and when O'Sullivan, utterly relaxed, imparted extra pace into the race at the bell, it was all over in a matter of strides. Vaquero, unable to quicken, could find .nothing more and the Irish woman, scarcely breathing heavily, went further and further away to open up a gap of 40 metres at the finish.
It all contrasted sharply with Boulmerka's singularly unhappy seasonal Grand Prix debut in the 1,500 metres. Her decision to shun competition and concentrate on a heavy training programme in Germany was shown to be misguided in a wholly unexpected collapse on the last lap.
After running comfortably in second place behind the American pacemaker. Cathy Rounds, she emerged in front right on cue with 350 metres to go.
On this occasion, however, there was none of the power which earned her Olympic success in Barcelona four years ago and, after surrendering the lead, she receded through the field to finish in 4:05.87, more than three seconds slower than the winner Sacramento.
Sacramento soundly beaten by O'Sullivan, in Oslo last Friday, produced a perfectly judged finishing run to catch Ludmilla Rogachova almost on the line.
Olympic champion Linford Christie was beaten by Canada's world champion Donovan Bailey in a tight photo finish in his last major test before the Atlanta Games.
The 36-year-old Briton seemed to be in control after 50 metres of the 100 but Bailey came back strongly and they crossed the line together. After the photo finish was analysed, Bailey was given victory, with both men recording a time of 10.17 seconds.
Christie, who will now begin the defence of his Olympic crown without a victory in a major Grand Prix this season, is due to run in London tomorrow before heading to the United States, but the field is not expected to be strong.
In the women's 800 metres, the world champion Ana Quirot of Cuba won in 1:59.21 with Britain's Diane Modahl fourth in 2:00.97. While Modahl has fought back from a flawed drug test that threatened to taint her forever, Quirot has overcome an even bigger obstacle.
She has made a miraculous comeback from a 1993 fire that took the life of her unborn child and nearly her own. "I may look calm, but inside, I'm a little restless," Quirot said. "The whole world wants me to win.
The victories of Joseph Keter in the 3,000 metres steeplechase in 8:08.47 and Paul Bitok in the 3,000 metres in 7:32.06 may cost them places in Kenya's team for Atlanta. They are two of 30 runners, including the world champion and world record holder Moses Kiptanui, who have been threatened with de-selection because they failed to meet an ultimatum to join the rest of their team-mates at a pre-Olympic training camp in Mississippi by yesterday.
