Gillian ‘walked’ every yard

As Rob Heffernan conquered the streets of Moscow yesterday, Gillian O’Sullivan was pacing around the sitting room of her Ballincollig home.

O’Sullivan, who won silver in the 2003 World Championships in Paris, was almost walking every step with her old friend around the Russia capital.

The Killarney native was acutely aware that the decisive break was going to arrive between the 32km and 40km marks, and so when Russia’s Mikhail Ryzhov opened up a slight advantage at 35km, O’Sullivan’s heart sank.