Sonia O'Sullivan
Biographical information
| Roles | Competed in Olympic Games • Other |
|---|---|
| Sex | Female |
| Full name | Sonia•O'Sullivan (-Bideau) |
| Used name | Sonia•O'Sullivan |
| Born | 28 November 1969 in Cobh, Cork (IRL) |
| Measurements | 175 cm / 55 kg |
| Affiliations | Ballymore Cobh AC, (IRL) / Melbourne Track Club, Melbourne (AUS) |
| NOC |  Ireland |
| Medals | OG |
| Gold | 0 |
| Silver | 1 |
| Bronze | 0 |
| Total | 1 |
Biography
Sonia O’Sullivan was a distance runner who competed in four Olympic Games for Ireland, winning a silver medal in the 5,000 metres at Sydney in 2000. O’Sullivan won the 1995 World title in that event and in 1998 won World Cross-Country titles over both the short and long courses. During her career O’Sullivan set Irish records for every distance from 1,500 to 10,000 metres.
O’Sullivan attended Villanova University in the United States, winning five NCAA Championships, with wins in the 3,000 metres and cross-country in 1990-91, and the indoor 5K in 1991. She was also a six-time champion at the Penn Relays. O’Sullivan settled in Australia with her husband, Nic Bideau. A life-sized statue of O’Sullivan was placed in her hometown of Cobh, Ireland.
Personal Bests: 1500 – 3:58.85 (1995); 3000 – 8:21.64 (1994); 5000 – 14:41.02 (2000); 10000 – 30:47.59 (2002).
Results
| Games | Discipline (Sport) / Event | NOC / Team | Pos | Medal | As | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 Summer Olympics | Athletics | IRL |
Sonia O'Sullivan | |||
| 1,500 metres, Women (Olympic) | 11 h2 r2/3 | |||||
| 3,000 metres, Women (Olympic) | 4 | |||||
| 1996 Summer Olympics | Athletics | IRL |
Sonia O'Sullivan | |||
| 1,500 metres, Women (Olympic) | 10 h2 r1/3 | |||||
| 5,000 metres, Women (Olympic) | AC r2/2 | |||||
| 2000 Summer Olympics | Athletics | IRL |
Sonia O'Sullivan | |||
| 5,000 metres, Women (Olympic) | 2 | Silver | ||||
| 10,000 metres, Women (Olympic) | 6 | |||||
| 2004 Summer Olympics | Athletics | IRL |
Sonia O'Sullivan | |||
| 5,000 metres, Women (Olympic) | 14 |
Other participations
| Games | Role | NOC | As | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Summer Olympics | Flagbearer at the Opening Ceremony | IRL |
Sonia O'Sullivan |
Special Notes
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the Summer Universiade (1–1–0 1991 Sheffield ATH gold: 1500 m, silver: 3000 m)
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the European Athletics Championships (3–2–0 1994 Helsinki gold: 3000 m; 1998 Budapest gold: 5000 m and 10000 m; 2002 München silver: 5000 m and 10000 m)
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the World Athletics Championships (1–1–0 1993 Stuttgart silver: 1500 m; 1995 Göteborg gold: 5000 m)
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the World Athletics Indoor Championships (0–1–0 1997 Paris silver: 3000 m)