Sonia seeks Chinese favour

TEN years ago, Chinese trio Qu Yunxia, Zhang Linli and Zhang Lirong deprived Sonia O’Sullivan of a medal in the final of the 3,000m at the world championships in Stuttgart.

That particular race, and the Chinese dominance of women's middle and long distance events during that era, is now part of track notoriety.

Qu Yunxia turned in a final kilometre of 2:39.26 to win the gold medal but even more startling was the 57.48 second final lap of Liu Dong to win the women's 1,500m race in which O'Sullivan bounced back to take the silver medal.

The Chinese presence in Saturday's final of the 5,000m in Stade de France, however, could work to O'Sullivan's advantage as she insisted after Tuesday night's semi-final she will be looking for a fast early pace.

Yinjie Sun will be just the woman to provide it. In the final of the 10,000m on Saturday she broke up the field before finally taking bronze behind Berhane Adere who posted the third fastest time ever at 30:04.18 to win the gold medal from her Ethiopian team-mate, Werknesh Kidane (30:07.15) and Sun (30:07.20).

On Tuesday night Sun was back in the heats of the 5,000m to separate the cream with a succession of fast kilometres ­ 3:00.77, 2:55.02, 2:54.55 and 2:59.44 before cruising into the final behind Edith Masai of Kenya and Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia.

If she is to repeat that standard on Saturday then Sonia, who set her own pace for the first six laps of her race, will be able to sit tight, and then move when the real race gets under way.

"It is never easy to run faster than you have ever done before," she said. "I have been trying it for a few years but I think there is a big chance to go out there on Saturday and run the best I have ever done."

She said she was happy with the speed she found in her legs on Tuesday night when she kicked off a fast pace to overtake the gold medal favourite, Berhane Adere, for second place.

"I was counting the people in front who could definitely sprint fast. It was important that I did not get myself boxed in," she said.

"I am definitely fit. I feel very good. But it is going to be a hard race. I imagine it is going to be fast. At some stage it relaxes and then it becomes a race and that is my strength when it is a race so I need to be in the race."

So Yingjie Sun will have a role to play if Sonia is to take away another world championships medal. The 25-year-old is not a member of coach Ma Junren's controversial army. In fact Ma rejected her because he said she had no talent.

But she comes from the Liaoning province that has produced Ma's army and she proved him wrong with some sensational performances.

She is the current Chinese and Asian champion at both 10,000m and 5,000m.

Sonia's partner Nick Bideau said: "Sonia was unbelievably fresh after Tuesday night's race and she will be meeting her coach Alan Storey this morning to discuss Saturday's final."