Although it might be some time before we see her racing at senior level, Sophie O'Sullivan has got her Irish running career off to a promising start at the European Athletics U18 Championships in Hungary.
On day one of the championships, that daughter of Ireland's Sonia O'Sullivan won her 800 m heat to qualify for tomorrow evening's semi-final. With the final due to be run on Saturday evening, O'Sullivan was a rather comfortable winner in this opening heat.
How about that for a championship debut?
Sophie O'Sullivan, daughter of 1998 European 5000m and 10,000m champion Sonia O'Sullivan, won the second heat of the 800m at the European U18 Championships. pic.twitter.com/EHD30KaGFR— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) July 5, 2018
Speaking after her maiden run in the Irish vest, O'Sullivan seemed somewhat delirious to have gotten off to such a good start. Although she is also eligible to run for Australia, for the time being at least, she seems happy following in her mother's footsteps:
I came out, I was feeling OK, so I thought, 'I may as well try'.
A capable runner at both 800 m and 1500 m, O'Sullivan also explained her decision to run the shorter distance at these championships: "I sometimes find with shorter distances there is less to think about."
In attendance was O'Sullivan's mother, the Olympic silver-medalist Sonia. Asked whether she too would one day look to emulate her mother's running efforts in the longer distances, Sophie is determined to stay where she is for the time being.
You can watch the entirety of her post-race interview below.
We caught up with Ireland's Sophie O'Sullivan after she qualified for the 800m semifinals from a tactical heat. pic.twitter.com/AR73EekJyb
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) July 5, 2018
See Also: Padraig Harrington Unimpressed By His Odds Ahead Of The Irish Open
