Sonia O' Sullivan - sportsfile

Irish athletes have a proud record of high achievement on the world stage.

From the golden era of the early 20th century when Irish competitors – more often than not competing under a foreign flag – dominated the throw and jump events at the Olympics, through to the achievements of John Treacy and Sonia O’Sullivan in the modern era, Irish athletics has consistently punched above its weight in international competition.

The 1970s and ‘80s witnessed another golden era, this time on the World Indoor and World Cross-Country Championship stages where John Treacy, Eamonn Coughlan, Frank O’Mara and Marcus O’Sullivan made global headlines by winning gold medals.

Sonia O’Sullivan and Catherina McKiernan kept the tricolour flying high during the 1990s and on into the new century.

And the recent medal-winning performances of Derval O’Rourke and Mary Cullen at the European Indoors in Turin augur well for a new era of Irish international excellence.

Olympic Games

1928 Hammer Pat O’Callaghan GOLD 51.39m
1932 Hammer Pat O’Callaghan GOLD 53.92m
1932 400mH Bob Tisdall GOLD 51.67
1956 1,500m Ronnie Delany GOLD 3.41.49
1984 Marathon John Treacy Silver 2.09.56
2000 5,000m Sonia O’Sullivan Silver 14.41.02

Note: The following Olympic medal winners have been credited by the International Olympic Committee as winning medals for Ireland, despite the differing political boundaries in existence at the time.

1900 High Jump Pat Leahy SILVER 1.78m
1900 Long Jump Pat Leahy BRONZE 6.95m
1900 Hammer John Flanagan GOLD 51.01m
1904 3,000m S/C John Daly SILVER 7.40.61
1904 Hammer John Flanagan GOLD 51.23m
1904 Decathlon Tom Kiely GOLD 6,036 pt
1908 High Jump Con Leahy SILVER 1.88m
1908 Triple Jump Tim Ahearne GOLD 14.92m
1908 Shot Putt Denis Horgan SILVER 13.62m
1908 Hammer John Flanagan GOLD 51.92m

World Championships

1983 5,000m Eamonn Coghlan GOLD 13.28.53
1993 1,500m Sonia O’Sullivan SILVER 4.03.48
1995 5,000m Sonia O’Sullivan GOLD 14.46.47
2003 20km Walk Gillian O’Sullivan SILVER 1:27:34
2009 20km Walk Olive Loughnane SILVER 1:28:58

World Indoor Championships

1987 1500m Marcus O’Sullivan GOLD 3.39.04
1987 3000m Frank O’Mara GOLD 8.03.32
1987 3000m Paul Donovan SILVER 8.03.99
1989 1500m Marcus O’Sullivan GOLD 3.36.64
1991 3000m Frank O’Mara GOLD 7.41.14
1993 1500m Marcus O’Sullivan GOLD 3.45.00
1997 3000m Sonia O’Sullivan SILVER 8.46.19
2003 400m Paul McKee BRONZE 45.99
2004 4×400m Relay BRONZE 3:10.44
(Rob Daly, Gary Ryan, David Gillick, David McCarthy)
2006 60m H Derval O Rourke Gold 7.84

World Cross Country Championships

Individual:
1975 Junior John Treacy BRONZE 21.23
1976 Junior John Treacy BRONZE 21.43
1978 Long Course John Treacy GOLD 39.25
1979 Long Course John Treacy GOLD 37.20
1992 Long Course Catherina McKiernan SILVER 21.18
1993 Long Course Catherina McKiernan SILVER 20.09
1994 Long Course Catherina McKiernan SILVER 20.52
1995 Long Course Catherina McKiernan SILVER 20.29
1998 Long Course Sonia O’Sullivan GOLD 25.39
1998 Short Course Sonia O’Sullivan GOLD 12.20

Teams:
1975 Junior Team SILVER 35 PTS
(John Treacy, Louis Kenny, Gerry Finnegan, Gerry Redmond)

1979 Long Course Team SILVER 198 pts
(John Treacy, Danny McDaid, Gerry Deegan, Mick O’Shea, Donie Walsh, Tony Brien,)

1997 Long CourseTeam BRONZE 64 pts
(Catherina McKiernan, Sonia O’Sullivan, Valerie Vaughan, Una English, Maureen Harrington, Pauline Curley)

2002 Short Course Team BRONZE 85 pts
(Sonia O’Sullivan, Ann Keenan-Buckley, Rosemary Ryan, Maria McCambridge, Valerie Vaughan, Maureen Harrington)

World Cup

1981 5,000m Eamonn Coghlan GOLD 14.08.39
1991 5,000m John Doherty SILVER 13.25.39
1998 5,000m Sonia O’Sullivan GOLD 16.24.52

World Junior Championships

1994 High Jump Antoine Burke SILVER 2.20m

World Student Games T&F

Track and Field

1930 400m Paddy Moore Bronze 50.0
1961 800m Ronnie Delany GOLD 1.51.1
1961 Hammer John Lawlor BRONZE 63.33m
1991 1500m Niall Bruton GOLD 3.50.69
1991 1500m Sonia O’Sullivan GOLD 4.12.14
1991 3000m Sonia O’Sullivan SILVER 8.56.35
1993 Discus Nicky Sweeney BRONZE 62.52m
2001 1500m Gareth Turnbull SILVER 3.44.21
2003 200m Paul Hession SILVER 20.89
2005 200m Paul Hession BRONZE 21.02
2005 100m Ailis McSweeney SLIVER 11.68
2005 5000m Jolene Byrne BRONZE 15.56.01
2005 100m H Derval O’Rourke BRONZE 13.02
2005 4×100m Derval O’Rourke; Ailis McSweeney; Emily Maher; Anna Boyle BRONZE 44.49
2007 Hammer Eileen O’Keefe SILVER 68.46

Cross Country

1980 Long Course Fionnuala Morrish BRONZE 22.54
1980 Long Course Team BRONZE 28 pts
2007 Fionnula Britton SILVER
TEAM: Britton; Byrne;Durcan BRONZE 33pts

European Championships

1958 1,500m Ronnie Delany BRONZE 3.42.3
1969 1,500m Frank Murphy SILVER 3.39.51
1978 1,500m Eamonn Coghlan SILVER 3.36.57
1994 3,000m Sonia O’Sullivan GOLD 8.31.84
1998 5,000m Mark Carroll BRONZE 13.38.15
1998 5,000m Sonia O’Sullivan GOLD 15.06.50
1998 10,000m Sonia O’Sullivan GOLD 31.29.33
2002 5,000m Sonia O’Sullivan SILVER 15.14.85
2002 10,000m Sonia O’Sullivan SILVER 30.47.59
2006 100m H Derval O’ Rourke SILVER 12.72

European Indoor Championships

1966 400m Maeve Kyle BRONZE 57.3
1966 800m Noel Carroll GOLD 1.49.7
1967 800m Noel Carroll GOLD 1.49.6
1968 800m Noel Carroll GOLD 1.56.66
1969 800m Noel Carroll BRONZE 1.47.6
1970 1500m Frank Murphy SILVER 3.49.0
1979 1500m Eamonn Coghlan GOLD 3.41.8
1980 1500m Ray Flynn SILVER 3.38.5
1980 1500m Mary Purcell BRONZE 4.14.2
1985 1500m Marcus O’Sullivan SILVER 3.39.75
2000 1500m James Nolan SILVER 3.41.59
2000 3000m Mark Carroll GOLD 7.49.24
2002 400m Karen Shinkins BRONZE 52.17
2005 400m David Gillick GOLD 46.30
2005 3000m Alistair Cragg GOLD 7:46.32
2007 400m David Gillick GOLD 45.52
2009 3000m Mary Cullen BRONZE 8:48:47
2009 60m H Derval O’ Rourke BRONZE 7.97

European Cross Country Championships

1994 Senior Catherina McKiernan GOLD 14.29
1998 Junior Gareth Turnbull BRONZE 16.55
2006 U23 Fionnuala Britton SILVER
1999 Junior Team BRONZE 43 pts Gary Murray, Brian Keane, Mark Smyth)
2000 Senior Team BRONZE 72 pts (Peter Matthews, Seamus Power, Gareth Turnbull, Keith Kelly)
2003 Senior Women’s Team SILVER 78 pts (Sonia O’Sullivan, Rosemary Ryan, Ann Keenan-Buckley, Catherina McKiernan)
2004 Junior Men’s Team SILVER 54 PTS (Mark Christie, Andrew Ledwith, Danny Darcy, Jamie McCarthy, Joe Sweeney, Mark Hanrahan)

European U-23 Championships

1999 800m James Nolan SILVER 1.46.94
2001 200m Mark Howard BRONZE 21.00
2001 200m Ciara Sheehy BRONZE 23.54
2003 5,000m Robert Connolly BRONZE 14.03.75
2009 5,000 David McCarthy BRONZE 14:00.78

European Junior Championships

1975 5,000m John Treacy SILVER 14.19.2
1985 3,000m Nick O’Brien GOLD 8.10.75
1987 Decathlon Barry Walsh BRONZE 7,336 pt
1991 5,000m Mark Carroll GOLD 14.19.88
1993 800m David Matthews BRONZE 1.54.00
1997 1,500m Gareth Turnbull BRONZE 3.48.16
1999 200m Ciara Sheehy BRONZE 23.49
2003 400m Joanne Cuddihy SILVER 53.62
2005 1500m Colin Costello GOLD 3.45.27
2005 1500m Danny Darcy SLIVER 3.46.07

World Youth Championships

2003 5,000m Walk Ann Loughnane SILVER 23.37.00
2009 800m Ciara Mageean SILVER 2:03.07

World Youth Olympics

1998 100m Emily Maher GOLD 11.93
1998 200m Emily Maher GOLD 24.16

European Youth Olympics

1991 100m Fiona Kelly SILVER 12.07
1991 800m Arlene Smith SILVER 2.09.00
1991 Long Jump Claire Ingerton SILVER 5.97m
1993 800m James Nolan SILVER 1.53.45
1995 1500m Gareth Turnbull SILVER 4.03.11
1995 1500m Maria Lynch SILVER 4.27.34
1995 100m H Grainne Redmond BRONZE 14.56
1997 200m Ciara Sheehy GOLD 24.11 w
1997 1500m Colm McLean GOLD 3.54.54
2003 1500m Colin Costello SILVER 3.58.58
2003 2000m S/C Colin Costello BRONZE 5.52.85
2007 2000m S/C Noel Collins SILVER 5.52.06
2007 3000m Charlotte Ffrench O Carroll SILVER 9.37.892
2007 High Jump Kourosh Foroughi Bronze 2.08m
2007 100m Niamh Whelan Bronze 11.873
2009 1500m Ciara Mageean GOLD 4.15.46
2009 3000m Shane Quinn SILVER 8.30.12
2009 400m Hurdles Christine McMahon SILVER 59.55
2009 4*100m Relay BRONZE (Christine McMahon, Joanna Mills, Caoimhe King, Joan Healy) 46.56