Ireland women win team bronze medal

The Irish women’s cross-country team performed brilliantly at Leopardstown racecourse today to claim the bronze medal in the team event.

The team was lead by Sonia O’Sullivan on her return to competitive racing after a long lay-off and she put in a battling display to finish in seventh place. Veteran campaigner, Anne-Keenan Buckley, ran an excellent race to finish 10th while Rosemary Ryan was 19th and Maria McCambridge was place 62nd.

Kenya’s Edith Masai was the overall winner of the four-kilometre test, beating the Ethiopian pair of Weknesh Kidane and Isabella Ochichi into second and third place respectively.

Ethiopia took gold in the team event while Kenya took silver. O’Sullivan’s seventh place marks a respectable return from the Cobh woman who was been out of action until the birth of her daughter last Winter and today’s display at 32-years-of-age against younger opponents means that her career is far from over.