A pioneer and superstar we all know simply as ‘Sonia’

The shortlist for Ireland’s greatest sportsperson has few permanent cast members, but Sonia O’Sullivan has always featured on it.

The CV is awesome, with an Olympic silver medal, World and European Championships and two World Cross-Country titles just the bullet points. Today, her 50th birthday, she enters the Hall of Fame at the Irish Life Health Athletics Awards. Jerry Kiernan, an Olympian himself, is glad O’Sullivan’s achievements are acknowledged in her home country.