Grant boosts Gillian on road to recovery

GILLIAN O’SULLIVAN got a boost as she battles back to full-fitness when the Irish Sports Council awarded her €20,000 under the 2006 High Performance grant scheme.

Silver medallist in the 20k walk at the world championships in Paris in 2003 and overall winner of the Grand Prix series that year, she was forced to leave Athens on the eve of the 2004 Olympics with a back injury.

And while that problem responded to a prolonged period of treatment, she has been struggling with a virus since last summer.