Sonia gets back on track for World Championship

SONIA O’SULLIVAN took her first steps towards the world track and field championships in Paris in the form of a 20-minute jog.

The Olympic silver medallist is in Limerick, where the world-renowned sports injury therapist Gerard Hartmann is treating her damaged Achilles tendon.

After suffering no ill effects from her run on Wednesday she was back jogging again yesterday, but her training is mostly based in the gym these days.

She has two sessions with Gerard Hartmann each day, separated by workouts in the pool and serious aerobic work on the Nordic ski machine.

Since the Achilles scare sent Sonia scurrying to Albuquerque, where Hartmann was based, she has been under the care of the Limerick man, and is already benefiting both from his treatment and the positive attitude which is said to inspire all his patients.

The world championships in Paris will be a stepping stone towards next year’s Olympic Games in Athens, where Sonia’s focus will be on a gold medal, most likely at 5,000m.

This year, on the track, she plans to run a number of 1,500m races.