ATHLETICS/Golden League: Revenge may be too strong a word, yet Sonia O'Sullivan is clearly thinking about getting a little back on Marta Dominguez at the Golden League meeting in Zurich this evening. Just a week after the Spanish athlete narrowly got the better of O'Sullivan in the European Championships 5,000 metres, they come face-to-face again as part of a world-class field over 3,000 metres.
The Zurich Weltklasse - German for world class - is the fifth of the seven IAAF Golden League meetings, and marks the first such appearance for O'Sullivan this season. Before the European Championships in Munich she stayed away from the major meetings, but, before drifting towards her marathon preparations in the autumn, there was still the desire to get a taste of the Golden League.
"Well I know it's not the European Championships," she said yesterday, "but I'm always good at fighting back, and trying to get back on top of things again. And put right the mistakes that I make."
Dominguez, however, will be far from the only challenge to O'Sullivan. Seven Kenyans are also in the line-up, led by Edith Masai, as is Olga Yegorova, Russia's world champion who could manage only fourth in Munich and whose drug controversy with EPO last summer seems to have left a cleaner and less formidable athlete.
Yet after all these years the 3,000 metres is still O'Sullivan's favourite distance (she's twice won the event in Zurich, in 1993 and 1995). With Gabriela Szabo of Romania sticking with the 1,500 metres on the night, it could be the chance for O'Sullivan to relive some of her glory days.
Only five athletes remain in contention for a share in the Golden League prize of 50kg in gold - Hicham El Guerrouj (1,500 metres), Felix Sanchez (400 metres hurdles), Gail Devers (100 metres hurdles), Ana Guevara (400 metres) and Marion Jones (100 metres) - and all five look capable of maintaining their unbeaten run. Television viewing in Ireland, unfortunately, is restricted to Sky Sports.
