O’Sullivan to get her season up and running
After training at altitude in St Moritz, the Olympic 5,000m silver medallist travelled straight to Lausanne where she will be surrounded by many familiar faces when she lines up for the women’s 3,000m.
Included will be Zahra Ouaziz from Morocco, who finished third when she claimed the world 5,000m title in Gothenburg in 1995. Werknesh Kidane will also be in the line-up while O’Sulivan will be keeping a close eye on the progression of Yelena Zadorozhnaya, one of two Russians in the field.
Zadorozhnaya was coming back from a prolonged spell of illness when she finished third behind Marta Dominguez and O’Sullivan in the European championships 5,000m final last year. The Russian is quite proficient over 3,000m (8:25.40), 1,500m (4:02.16) and 800m (2:02.74). She was a bronze medallist at 3,000m in both the world and European indoor championships in recent years and she made no secret of her disappointment in Munich last year.
But O’Sullivan will go into the 3,000m with confidence. European champion at the distance in 1994, she ran the fastest time by a non-Chinese athlete at 8:21.64 in London in July of that year. That is still the ninth fastest of all time but the only other non-Chinese ahead of her on the list is Gabriela Szabo.
She is the first to admit she feels very comfortable at the distance which is still regarded by many as her best event and it is hardly surprising she should choose this event to launch her track campaign
A fast race would appear to be on the cards as the organisers have brought in two Kenyan pacemakers, Margaret N’Goto, who will make the early pace, and Naomi Mugo, to see them to the critical point.
The race will set the scene for Saturday’s showpiece in the resplendent surroundings of the revamped Mardyke Complex where the City Sports Chairman, Dick Hodgins, expects some really fast times.
Definitely in are Kalmer, who ran 4:07 last week, Dutch champion Anjolie Wisse, Belgian 800m champion Meike Greens, Danish champion Heide Jensen, Australia’s teenage sensation Georgie Clarke, Jacqueline Maranga of Kenya and two Americans, Jennifer Toomey and Carrie Tallison, who was second last year to Geraldine Hendricken.
What promises to be a very competitive race will be just perfect for Freda Davoren’s pursuit of the qualifying standard for the world championships which is now within her grasp. She only needs the conditions to produce the run that will ensure her place in the line up for Paris at the end of August.
Anne Marie Larkin from Tullamore, who ran the fastest 800m of the year by an Irish woman at the beginning of June, and the steeplechase record holder, Roisin McGhettigan, are also in the line-up.
Elsewhere on the programme, the scene is being set for some of the best 400m running seen in this country with the confirmation that Jamie Baulch and Paul McKee, who tied for the bronze medal at the world indoor championships in Birmingham.
Danny McFarlane from Jamaica will be the hot favourite. He has already beaten McKee and Tomas Coman this season and they will be joined by a rejuvenated Jared Deacon, a previous winner at The Mardyke with David McCarthy, fifth in the world indoors, and Rob Daly completing a very strong Irish representation in the field.
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