Sonia to depart early for Sydney

Sonia O'Sullivan will leave for Australia next Wednesday to start the final phase of her preparations for the Olympic Games in Sydney. Originally, it was thought that she would delay her departure until early the following week but she has decided to err on the side of caution.

"While I don't want to be in Australia too long before the Games, I think an acclimatisation period of three weeks is just about right," she said.

"I have no plans to run competitively there before the Games, so it will be just a matter of ticking over and keeping up my levels of fitness." O'Sullivan, competing in her third Olympics, will not be joining other Irish athletes at a training camp outside Sydney. Instead she plans to stay in Melbourne, moving to the Olympic city just before the start of the Games.

Before that, however, she will have been in action twice, in a 1,500 metres race at Berlin this evening and again at Gateshead on Monday when she takes on Britain's Paula Radcliffe over 3,000 metres.

Some of the top contenders for Olympic honours have already closed their competitive programmes in the approach to the Games but O'Sullivan sees no valid reason she should follow suit.

"Rather than just concentrate on training, I believe that two hard races will benefit me, before I go to the Games," she said. "I ran 4:01 for the 1,500 metres in Oslo but I think I have since moved on from there."

Among those who have decided to rein back on their programmes is Gabriela Szabo, last season's Woman Athlete of the Year and a strong contender for the Olympic 1,500 metres title.

Szabo's absence detracts from the appeal of this evening's 1,500 metres, but there is still sufficient quality left in the race to ensure that the Irish athlete is going to have to work hard for anything she gets.

Violeta Szekeky-Beglea, who provided one of the biggest upsets of the season by outkicking Szabo down the finishing straight in their recent meeting at Crystal Palace, could well be poised to upstage her Romanian team-mate in Sydney.

Now, in company with Anita Weyermann (Switzerland), Carla Sacramento (Portugal) and Britain's Helen Pattinson, she could tow O'Sullivan to a sub four-minute run and provide her with a perfect morale-booster before setting off for Australia.

Meanwhile, Michael Johnson aims to prove he has fully recovered from the hamstring injury suffered at last month's US Olympic trials at today's Brussels Golden League meeting. Robbed of his chance to defend his 200 metres title at next month's Olympics, Johnson believes he is even stronger over 400 metres than when he completed his Games double four years ago in Atlanta. The Van Damme Memorial meeting forms the first part of Johnson's three-race countdown to Sydney. Maurice Greene is expected to continue his hot streak of 100 metres form, while Trinidad's Ato Boldon will be looking to take the 200 metres, where 21-year-old John Capel will be making his first appearance since his surprise victory in last month's US trials.