Athletics NewsWith the usual apologies to Mark Twain, reports of Sonia O'Sullivan's retirement have been greatly exaggerated. At the age of 37 she is clearly well into the twilight of her extraordinary career, but the idea that she'll run one last race on April 15th and then happily hang up her spikes is a long way from the reality.

O'Sullivan has confirmed she'll be on the starting line for the Great Ireland Run in the Phoenix Park on April 15th, and that could well be her last race in Dublin. However, she has strong intentions of running a couple more track races, at least one more cross country race and possibly another marathon.

Rather than a farewell race then, O'Sullivan has in fact planned a farewell season - which she is calling the "The Last Lap". That plan doesn't include anything as significant as, say, next year's Beijing Olympics, but she will be making the most of the next 12 months, especially as she's currently running injury-free and training at a relatively high level.

And retirement, as she's often stated, is not a word that she easily comprehends, and even when O'Sullivan does end her days as a competitive runner, it's a guarantee that she'll continue to run every day, simply for the love of it.

The reality is athletes like O'Sullivan never fully retire.

The Cork athlete is in Australia and her home-from-home in Melbourne, where she has spent her winters for the past decade. Reports of an imminent "retirement" appeared to stem from her announcement to compete in the Great Ireland Run, which, she in fact said, "would be the start of this last lap".

Unfortunately this was misread by certain elements of the media, prompting various tributes to O'Sullivan's great career - obviously a little premature. The Taoiseach was among them, saying that "her achievements in a career spanning almost 20 years have brought huge pride and enjoyment to Irish people all over the globe".

And Minister for Sport John O'Donoghue didn't miss the opportunity either - clearly unaware that O'Sullivan had several more races to run yet: "It is my great pleasure to pay tribute to Sonia O'Sullivan, one of Ireland's greatest athletes, who has announced today that she will be retiring in April . . .

" I wish Sonia health and happiness as she embarks on a new chapter in her life."

For now, however, it's anything but clear when O'Sullivan will have her last race. She has been a frequent starter in the Great Ireland Run, winning the inaugural 10km race in 2003, with a couple more runner-up positions, and after missing last year's race through injury it was always likely she would return to run one more.

In the meantime, she had also indicated to the organisers of the Cork City Sports that she would like a farewell appearance on the track there next July, and the European Cross Country championship, which has become the focus of Irish teams in recent years, are set for Spain next December and that also features in her plans, possibly as a last appearance in the green vest of Ireland.

Either way, she has spoken about her decision to "wind down" rather than simply retire, especially as she continues to enjoy her running, including the harder training sessions at her familiar, high-altitude training venue at Falls Creek. And having regained a relatively high level of fitness, she wasn't about to throw it away after one race.

"Ideally I would like to run a good track race this year, a marathon and the European Cross Country at the end of the year," she added.

What is certain is that O'Sullivan has nothing left to prove in track, road or cross country running. She holds every Irish record from 800 metres to the half-marathon, with a marathon best of 2:29.01. She has always hinted at wanting to improve that marathon best, and even at the age of 37 a quicker time is not outside the realms of possibility.

The misreading of O'Sullivan's intentions, meanwhile, was the cause of some embarrassment for the Great Run organisers, Nova International. Matthew Turnbull, athletics director of race organisers, confirmed that O'Sullivan was in fact planning several other races in the months ahead, although the April 15th event was still likely to be her last appearance in a mass participation race in Dublin.

The World Championships in Osaka, Japan, next August don't fall into her plans, however, and it is now clear we have seen the last of O'Sullivan at a major track championship. She leaves behind an unrivalled list of achievements, with medals at European, World and Olympic level, but her last race is a long way from being run just yet.