 |
OLYMPIC COUNTDOWN
|
|
|
 |
Sonia O'Sullivan's Olympic Countdown
Since February '99, Sonia O'Sullivan has been keeping a diary for The Irish Times in the run-up to Sydney 2000. Over an eventful eighteen months, including the birth of her daughter Ciara, trace Sonia's preparations for the most important event of her career.
|
Feeling fast and fit and ready to go
|
August 5, 2000
|
Last Friday night in Oslo. This afternoon in London. On the way to Sydney
these are more than just two mere roadstops along the way
|
This time I knew why I was in Milan
|
May 27, 2000
|
Big weekend last weekend. A 10 km road race in Milan might not look like much when
I get to the end of the summer but right now winning last Sunday morning and looking
at a few of the girls I beat, means a lot.
|
Portuguese lessons
|
April 8, 2000
|
You get to the end, pass under the arch, pass by all the fuss - and there you are, completely on your own. Nobody comes near you. Winners and losers get to live in different worlds.
|
Olympic build-up begins in earnest
|
February 26, 2000
|
At last I can smell the Olympic Games in my nostrils.
These past couple of weeks have brought everything a little
closer.
|
Ready for the big push
|
January 8, 2000
|
New Year, new century, but for athletes all over the world it means the start of Olympic year. That's a sense of anticipation you only get a few times in your running career.
|
Getting back to business
|
October 16, 1999
|
Last Sunday the Great North run. Today Loughrea. It's a
weird feeling coming back just as everyone else is winding down their
running year.
|
Back in the swing aiming for home run
|
August 14, 1999
|
It's almost a year ago since I was in Dublin for a press conference after
winning two European titles in Budapest. Now, after a very different stage
in my life, I was back again yesterday - as an athlete.
|
Girl talk becomes a family necessity
|
July 17, 1999
|
Ciara. One of those names which came to us at about five in the morning and just
seemed to fit. Ciara.
|
Thinking more of starting again
|
June 19, 1999
|
Counting down. Any day now and I could split into two. Intuition and a few dreams
tell me that when it happens I'm going to have a baby boy.
|
Television fails Africa's huge talents
|
May 1, 1999
|
Counting down. Any day now and I could split into two. Intuition and a few dreams
tell me that when it happens I'm going to have a baby boy.
|
Carrying on regardless
|
March 27, 1999
|
You're not missed really. I was looking at Athletics Weekly today and it was the
World Cross Country preview issue and on the front they had all the winners from
Marrakech in 1998.
|
Time to pursue personal goals
|
February 13, 1999
|
Dandenongs. I've got four Kenyans in the car with me and another five in the car
behind. It's Sunday morning and we're headed for Dandenongs.
|
|
|
 |
|
Read More of Sonia's Diary
|
|
IRISH NEWS
|
|
|
For full Irish news,
click here
|
|
IRISH OLYMPIANS
|
|
|
A who's-who of all the Irish athletes in Australia
|
