Sonia O'Sullivan brought her European Grand Prix season to a close in Moscow over the weekend when she came fifth in the Grand Prix final over 3,000 metres. Having won four Championship medals, two in the World Cross Country Championships in March and two more at the European Championships in Budapest last month in the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres, O'Sullivan finished off the most successful year of her career with what was a modest run by her standards.
The 3,000 metre race was won by Ethiopia's Gete Wami in a time of eight minutes 40.11 seconds with O'Sullivan over 20 seconds behind, coming in at 9:03.22. Two of her regular rivals, Moroccan Zahra Quaziz and Spain's Julia Vanquero, were well ahead of the Irish woman, finishing second and fourth respectively.
Three athletes took a share of the $1 million which was on offer for winning all six of the Gold League events which began in Oslo in July. Hicham El Guerrouj in the 1,500 metres, Haile Gebrselassie in the 10,000 metres and 100 metres sprinter Marion Jones split the $1 million jackpot.
Only 10,000 spectators turned up to watch the world's top track and field athletes perform in the 83,000 seat Olympic stadium. Local reporters said school-children, who had been given free entry for the event in an attempt to fill the stadium, had been trying to sell their tickets at underground stations. Some of the spectators booed when Jones, Guerrouj and Gebrselassie held up a giant replica cheque of the prize.
And Jones was pointedly asked at a news conference after the meeting what she planned to do with the money.
"Put the money in the bank and let interest draw on it," she replied.
Jones's riposte showed some understandable exasperation at a somewhat rambling question. Unlike a small group of American male sprinters who decided not to travel to Moscow because of exaggerated fears over security, Jones made the trip and gave full value to those fans who could afford the entrance price.
She defeated European champion Heike Drechsler in the long jump and was in a class of her own in the 100 metres, winning by nearly three-hundredths of a second.
Jones, unbeaten in any event this year, would be most people's choice as track and field athlete of the year. El Guerrouj, who won each of his 12 1,500 metres races this season as well as breaking the world record, is an equally worthy champion.
The Moroccan said on Saturday he did not plan to defend his title at next year's world championships in Seville.
"For my part, I will probably not compete in the world championships but concentrate on meetings and establishing more world records," he said.
