ATHLETICS: Sonia O'Sullivan, who is to receive Australian nationality at a ceremony in Melbourne today, has confirmed she wants to compete for her new country at the Commonwealth Games in March.
The 36-year-old former Olympic 5,000 metres silver medallist plans to bid for a team place over that distance by contesting the Australian trials, which take place in just over a fortnight.
"I have finally got my nationality sorted out, but I will not really believe it until I've got the certificate in my hand," O'Sullivan said.
O'Sullivan, who has two young daughters, Sophie and Ciara, with her partner and manager, Nic Bideau, lives for much of the year in Melbourne. She said she was delighted she has made a dream come true.
"Let's remember I am Irish and they don't come and compete in the Commonwealth Games, but with dual nationality I can now do so," she said. "It's a simple thing really."
But she insisted: "No matter what championship it might be, I would never compete against Ireland. That is the country where I was born and bred. But this is an exception.
"I plan running for them at the European Championships in the summer," added the 1998 champion over both 5,000 and 10,000 metres.
Now O'Sullivan is looking forward, along with other people granted citizenship, to swearing her allegiance to Australia and receiving her official papers at a public ceremony in Melbourne.
"I've just come back from altitude training at Falls Creek and it went really well," said the Cobh runner.
"I'm feeling fit and strong and now I need a couple of good track sessions before the trials," she added. "There's some good young Australians running down here and I'm taking them very seriously."
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