Controlled, confident Sonia cruises into final

SONIA O’SULLIVAN raced into medal contention at the world championships in Paris last evening when she turned in one of her most confident performances in recent years to finish second in her heat of the women’s 5,000m in 14 mins 55.50 secs — her fastest time since the London last year.

he race was won by the three-time European junior champion, Elvan Abeylegesse from Turkey (who was previously known as Elvan Can and/or Hewan Abeye when in Ethiopia), in 14:54.95 after she had stolen a march earlier.

But one could not but be impressed by the manner in which O'Sullivan, the Olympic silver medallist, after her usual duel with Gabriela Szabo, sprinted past the gold medal favourite, Berhane Adere, over the final 200m leaving the newly crowned 10,000m champion a fading third.

With the first seven in the first heat won by Edith Masai of Kenya in 14:45.35 under 15 minutes Sonia O'Sullivan decided she did not want to be caught up in a contest between the fastest losers for a place in the final.

And when she found herself in front from the start she took control of the race.

Leading for six laps with Szabo at her shoulder, she took the field through the opening kilometre in 3:03.38.

Then she moved out into lane three and allowed the runners behind her to go through on the inside and she settled into sixth position.

"I went out there and ran comfortably for the first few laps," she said.

"I did not want it to be crawling out there. I wanted it to be a decent race.

"I felt good in front but then I felt I was slowing and I did not really want it to slow down. I did not want it to be crawling out there. I wanted it to be a decent race, so I decided to let somebody else have a go up there."

They went through the next 1,000m in 3:04.45 with Isabella Ochichi of Kenya leading Adere and the Moroccan, Zhor El Kamch, who was never far from the action.

All the time Sonia O'Sullivan was stalking the leaders with Szabo close by.

They reached 3,000m in 9:08.89 and now it was clear that she needed a top five place to be sure of qualification.

She moved out with 300m to go, got into a sprinting position and then sailed past all but the leader, passing Adere on the crown of the bend.

"I did not know that. I just kept thinking 'top five, top five'," she recalled.

"But it was nice to finish like that. It gives me confidence. Now I just have to go away and see about Saturday's final. I know it is going to be a hard race. I'll just have to go out there and run as hard as I can.

"Then, at some stage, it relaxes and becomes a race and I need to be in that race."

Now that she has made the final she would love to run faster than she has ever done before.

"I have been trying to do it for a few years but there will be a big chance to go out there and run the best race I've ever run."

She admitted she was quite nervous going into the race and decided she had nothing to lose.

"You could not see it but inside I was nervous and I just wanted to get this race out of the way. I was nervous but, at the same time, relaxed. There was no point in getting into a knot before the race. It turned out all right and I am happy. This is my first time running under 15 minutes since the Olympics."

Behind her Gabriela Szabo got through to the final as the leading fastest loser, finishing sixth in 14:56.70.

The first five in the first heat lead the qualifiers into the final. Edith Masai won that in 14:45.35 from the Ethiopian Tirunish Dibaba with the Chinese runner, Yingie Sun, who made most of the running as she did in the 10,000m final, third in 14:46.73. The European champion, Marta Dominguez, who followed the Chinese around, was rewarded with fourth place ahead of Zahra Ouaziz, who already has silver and bronze medals from the world championships, fifth but the defending champion, Olga Yegorova, a shadow of what she was in 2001, went out in 10th position.