Like mother like daughter.
Sonia O'Sullivan was always a fast finisher. Renowned for her powerful kick at the closing stages of races, the Cork native was at the top of women's track and field for more than 10 years between the early 1990s and the early 2000s.
The apple never falls too far from the tree and that certainly appears to be the case with O'Sullivans. Sonia's 16-year-old daughter Sophie has been making giant strides in her underage career on the track to date, and her victory in her debut in European competition on Wednesday only serves to underline that potential.
Running one year out of her age group, the Ballymore Cobh athlete was undaunted by the competition in her opening round 800mt heat at the European under-18 championships in Gyor.
She led from the front in the two lap race, only to be swarmed by the field as the race hotted up down the home straight. She kept her composure under pressure before lengthening her stride to stretch away Ukraine and Czech Republic opposition when it mattered most in the final 20 mts.
https://twitter.com/EuroAthletics/status/1014907659248545792
O'Sullivan was raised in Australia and qualifies to represent the southern hemisphere country as a result. She won the Aussie under-17 1500 mt championships earlier this year, but the fact that she chose to don the green vest in this competition is surely a positive sign for the years to come.
In her post-race interview, she indicated her preference for the shorter two lap race, rather than the 1500 mts.
https://twitter.com/EuroAthletics/status/1014913453230870528
She now has a semi-final to prepare for on Friday.
