SONIA O'SULLIVAN set the year's third fastest time in the world over the 5,000 metres in Rome last night, but was still downbeat afterwards about a win carved out in difficult circumstances over a respectable but not star-studded field. O'Sullivan had to dig deep into her reserves of stamina and courage to pull off a courageous win in humid conditions.

"Sorry to drag about here for that," she told reporters afterwards. "If I had felt good I was thinking of perhaps going for world record tonight. In the end I was happy enough to get the result out of

A winning time of 14:54:75 stands some way off Fernanda Ribeiro's 1995 world record of 14:36:45, but on a night when O'Sullivan had to do much of the donkey work herself throughout the course of the race, and felt poorly from about the half-way mark on, the time was deemed respectable.

O'Sullivan, who has made no secret of the fact that she would like to break Ribeiro's record this year, found it hard to take any pleasure in winning her first European outing of the year.

"I have to regard it as a win.

The time was poor. I had to do a lot of the work, because on a night like tonight, if I don't do it, somebody else will."

O'Sullivan had brought the field through 1,000 metres in 2:54:32 ("needed to be about 2:50" O'Sullivan said afterwards), and she led for several more laps before her Kenyan training mates Rose Cheruyot and Pauline Konga took up some of the running.

The 3,000 metre mark was passed in 8:58:50 with O'Sullivan leading again. At that point she dropped back through the field somewhat, falling to fifth 400 metres later and slipping to sixth at one point. With three laps left she was just about keeping in touch.

"Was it a crisis? That's the second time I've heard that word tonight," said O'Sullivan afterwards. "I'll have to look it up.

"I didn't feel good. After that I was looking and looking for the last lap."

By the time that last lap came around O'Sullivan had dug deep inside herself to make sure the gap between herself and the front runners never became unmanageable. She trailed Juia Vaquero of Spain and Gete Wami of Ethiopia at that stage, and of the two Wami proved the hardest to shake off, staying on O'Sullivan's shoulder until the final bend.

Crossing the line, O'Sullivan had two seconds to spare over Wami, with Vaquero finishing strongly in third.

O'Sullivan had intended that last night's outing would be her only run over 5,000 metres before the Olympics. In the light of last night's difficult run, however, she may take another look at her schedule.

I don't know. I will have to have a look at it. It is only June 5th. The time tonight wasn't too bad for so early in the season. There are things I will have to do.

"I will have to have a look at doing more track work and cut down on the distances, and I have to try to relax. The Olympics can't be in your head the whole time. I have to take my time and get things right."

"At least," she said, her competitive nature finding some solace, "that's the fastest Irish 5,000 metres this year."

Catherina McKiernan had run 14:55:39 in St Denis, France, on Monday night.