Sonia O'Sullivan, aiming next month to repeat her European Championships 5,000m and 10,000 metres double, has decided to race over 800m at the National Track and Field Championships at Santry tomorrow. There was speculation O'Sullivan might attempt to achieve the 5,000m qualifying standard of 15 minutes 20 seconds for the championships beginning in Munich on August 6.
But the Cobh woman revealed her plans to gain the required mark would be put on hold for another week. "I entered the 800, 1,500 and 5,000 for this weekend's championships, but I plan sharpening my speedwork by doing only the 800m," O'Sullivan said.
Her personal best at that distance stands at two minutes 00.69 seconds, which she ran in 1994 before winning the last-ever European 3,000 metres title before it was lengthened by 2,000 metres.
Now O'Sullivan intends attacking the 5,000m qualifier on the continent next week. She said: "I am running at Hechtel in Belgium where I have been told there will be a high-quality field taking part."
Filed by Sinéad Kissane
