At last year’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Sophie O’Sullivan’s finish line heroics were a memorable part of the 10-day competition, as was her mother Sonia’s reaction.
After injuries in the lead up, and little time spent running after a bone stress injury, O’Sullivan was deemed unlikely to make the semi-final.
Sonia O’Sullivan even said: “I never really thought that she would get out of the heat into the semi-final”.
Sophie shocked everyone in the Japanese capital.
With only the top six qualifying for the semi-finals, the then 23-year-old ran wide on the home straight, throwing herself over the line to secure that crucial sixth place by just 0.08 of a second.
Sophie O’Sullivan showed her grit in Tokyo last year making the semi-final off little running
Sophie O’Sullivan is a gritty runner.
One of the first glimpses of this was when she out-kicked event favourite Sarah Healy in the European U23 Championships in 2023.
But she explains, the trademark smile you see on her face, that is also usually donned with sparkles and stars for big races, is more of a grimace.
“I definitely always try and get to the start with a smile”, she told Ciara Mageean as part of RTÉ Sport’s build up to the European Championships.
“I think it potentially is just the way that my face is looking when I’m running. Maybe a grimace, maybe a smile. I guess best it looks like a smile.”
Another glimpse of that was when she ran pretty much solo to a new championship record at last month’s national championships in less than ideal conditions.
The name on the stats sheet only has one thing changed though, going from Sonia to Sophie in an historic moment for Irish athletics.
Sophie O’Sullivan joked she only has one message for her mum who will be watching on from RTÉ’s Dublin studio as she toes the line in the 1500m heats on Saturday morning: “One record down yesterday so we’re coming for the rest now. We’ve got about 20 more to go maybe.”
Sophie O’Sullivan is only in her first year as a full-time athlete.
Prior to that she attended the University of Washington, where she ended her college career following in her mother’s footsteps by winning an NCAA title, becoming just the fifth Irishwoman to do so.
But her time in the States wasn’t always fruitful.
“I was there for five years, I never really won anything to be honest when I was there. You just feel like you have to come away with something after all that time.
“I think it was really good to just feel like you gave something back to the university. It was probably the best I’ve felt in a while so it was a good start to the year.”
The timing of moving on however, has felt right, but she appreciates having multiple “teams” that she feels a part of.
“I felt like it was good timing to wrap it up and it was enough time there.
“You get to appreciate all the people and everyone there who’s helped you out and it’s nice you still hear from them a lot and I think that’s like just a nice thing to have as well; it’s like another extra team, you have like a team here, team there.”
Sophie O’Sullivan became the fifth Irish woman to win an NCAA title in 2025
One advantage of being out of the American college system is more agency over racing and training but unfortunately the injury spell continued for Sophie O’Sullivan after finishing up in Washington.
“The end of last year I just did a lot of cross training so I had a slow start to the year.”
The slow start is now over and Sophie O’Sullivan is coming into flying form at just the right time.
A 2:01 clocking for 800m at the Cork City Sports at the start of the July was indicative of what was to come and Sophie O’Sullivan went on to win the Morton Games before claiming that second national title in Santry but admitted there were some doubts.
“It was hard to know, and I just felt like it wasn’t quite coming together at the start of the year but I think it’s starting to turn around and I think it’s good timing.”
If it wasn’t evident from the run in Tokyo, Sophie O’Sullivan needs a bit of a carrot to bring out the best in herself.
“I guess I just need some sort of thing like a championship to start running well, but I think once that’s in sight then you have to get moving.
“I think it’s turning out well now.”
Sophie O’Sullivan has racked up several wins in the run-up to the European Championships
That is one way to put it.
Sophie O’Sullivan clocked a new personal best time over the 800m just six days out from the heats in Birmingham, breaking two minutes for the first time and becoming just the third Irishwoman to do so.
The goal for Birmingham is to make the final, and then? Combine that grit and her recent form. Don’t count Sophie O’Sullivan out.
“I need to get out of that (heat) into the final… I think start with that and see how it goes.”