CORK’S MOST famous athlete Sonia O’Sullivan is esteemed as much for her recovery from the “emotional rollercoaster of her defeats” as for her numerous triumphs, a ceremony to award her an honorary degree at University College Cork (UCC) heard yesterday.
At the conferring of a degree of doctor of arts on the Cobh athlete, Dr Iognáid Ó Muircheartaigh, president emeritus of NUI Galway, said Sonia would always be remembered as someone whose life involved much more than the accumulation of medals.
“I think many of us will remember her as much for the emotional rollercoaster of her defeats, and her subsequent recovery from them, as for the highs her world championship and Olympic wins and medals, and her record-making runs.
“Sonia is a runner’s runner. She runs. That is what she does. She wins, she loses, she wins again. She has an almost mystical appreciation of the joy of running,” he said.
O’Sullivan, who won a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics, said she was very appreciative of the honour bestowed by UCC.
“It is fabulous to be here today and for UCC to honour me so close to my home in Cobh . . .
I can reflect now and look back because I am not competing as I once was.”
Also honoured yesterday was former Progressive Democrat TD and senator Máirín Quill who was conferred with a doctor of laws.
Ms Quill, who retired from politics yesterday after 30 years, admitted it was strange not to see her name on the ballot paper when she went to vote.
Also honoured were co-founder of Concern Fr Jack Finucane, former US ambassador to Ireland Richard J Egan, health campaigner and innovator Dr Michael Boland and executive vice-president of Shanghai University Prof Zhou Zhe-Wei.