Sonia’s sunny medal forecast
It’s a query that has come her way practically each and every day since December of 2009 when she agreed to become what is effectively the team manager’s role for Ireland’s 65 representatives later this month.
Yet, as the last days tick by before the opening ceremony, another question is beginning to take even greater prominence. Among the media and general public, at least. Medals. Or, how many will we win? And who will win them for us? Four years ago, the Ireland team travelled home from Beijing with three medals — all in boxing — among their luggage and Cobh’s Olympic silver medallist believes that a similar haul should be well within the compass of this latest group in green.
“Yeah, I think we do have a very strong team this year compared to Beijing. That would be a good starting point ... It’s been pretty tough for a lot of the athletes to qualify and the athletes that have made it have done so quite easily.
“They haven’t been running around chasing times which is a good thing. In that sense, it will be a stronger team. A lot of the athletes have been qualified for quite a while now so they’ve had time to make a plan and to prepare properly.”
Boxing and sailing will carry most hopes in terms of podium places but O’Sullivan was straight and to the point when playing down the possibilities of an Irish flag being raised during the track and field programme at the Olympic Stadium.
Road walkers Rob Heffernan and Olive Loughnane stand as the country’s best shots in that regard but disappointing Irish performances at the European Athletics Championships in Helsinki recently demonstrated exactly where things stand.
“Moreso, some athletes didn’t go and you thought ‘why did they not go?’ Were they afraid of not performing well? You would question them. There were performances in Beijing that you would question and say those athletes shouldn’t have been there.
“So if we had seen performances in Helsinki that weren’t of a high standard, then you would kind of question it and you’d say, ‘well, listen, we need a fitness test here’. There were definitely some athletes missing that you’d like to see doing something soon.”
Twenty-three track and field athletes were among the 65-strong team named yesterday by the Olympic Council of Ireland although cycling’s three-man road race team has yet to be ratified pending Matt Brammeier’s ongoing appeal.
Ninety officials will travel in support of a travelling party where 14 sports are represented, prompting OCI chief executive Stephen Martin to describe it as the “best supported team ever” and O’Sullivan will be one of its key constituents.
Her athletics CV alone carries considerable weigh but not everything is as it was during her own career with social media such as Twitter and Facebook one of those matters currently adding to the pile on her in-tray.
” I’m sure we will definitely have discussions on that. You don’t want people putting on things without thinking. You do find that a lot of athletes can’t wait to get that tweet out there because it is one of those instant things that you want to be out before anyone else.
“I would definitely be advising athletes to leave their phones in the village or put them in the bottom of their bag and once they go into that warm-up zone you can’t really be playing around with them because it is very distracting.”
There is also the not-insignificant matter of who will carry the flag in the opening ceremony. O’Sullivan had the honour in 2000, Niall Griffin, a three-day eventer and son of former Wexford hurling manager Liam, followed suit in Athens while sailing’s Ciara Peelo did so in 2008.
“We haven’t even had the discussion. I haven’t even had a list to look at it but I do have one today so I will have a look on the plane on the way home.”
Just one more box to tick among the many.
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