Interviews

Sonia O Sullivan
Sonia O Sullivan
Recorded: 2012
Length: 1hr 16mins
The mere mention of the name itself invokes a multitude of magical memories.  We watched her on the box, enthralled, as she plundered gold, silver and bronze medals in the premier championship races around the world. This slip of a girl from the county of Cork took on and defeated the best the world could offer as she blazed a trail of glory in the great athletic stadiums of Europe and beyond, Athens, Sydney, Oslo, Gothenburg, Stuttgart, Helsinki, Budapest, Munich, Turin Paris Dublin and many more.  It was a golden era for Irish athletics and Sonia was the queen of them all. We probably will never see her likes again.

This amazing Cobh born lady must be regarded as the greatest athlete this country has ever produced. Just a brief examination of her career in middle distance running spanning the 1990s and culminating with an Olympic silver medal in the 5,000m in Sydney bears this out.  Her trophy cabinet amassed a multitude of titles including the World Athletics Championship (1995), the European Championship (1994 and double gold in 1998), (double silver in 1992), the World Cross Country Championships in Marrakesh, double gold in 1998 and the World Championships (gold in 1997).  And not to be overlooked a host of magnificent Grand Prix wins as she broke, equaled and smashed Irish, European and Irish records leaving world class fields trailing in her wake.

As an avid follower of athletics in this county, I like thousands of others had followed Sonia's career as she thrilled households up and down the country for the best part of a decade captivating and inspiring a nation. Little did I think that one day I would sit down and have the privilege of interviewing her for Radio Kerry in what was I must admit was a slightly daunting but fascinating experience?

And so it was last Saturday week as the full time whistle sounded in a superb Mid Kerry final between Milltown/Castlemain and Laune Rangers which finished in a draw that I faced the car back West and as the darkness descended arrived at Inch strand. The venue would prove to be the most unlikely of places to conduct a ninety minute interview with this living legend of world sport. In my opinion walking Inch Beach from end to end as crimson shades creep into the western sky then watch the sun set and let the day melt into night is one of the great experiences rarely spoken about in this county. And it was here that Sonia chooses to relax and unwind following her recent hectic schedule as Chef de Mission to the Irish Olympic team in London. Her family now shares their time between Melbourne, London and of course Cobh.  And nestling there overlooking the beach is Sammy's Café where Mahmood the exemplary owner of this superb establishment was only too willing to facilitate us with a little room upstairs which couples as his office and it was from here I was then transported all around the world as Sonia re-lived all the great athletic events of her magical career. Impossible I had discovered in the previous week as I familiarized myself with her career to cover everything and indeed it would take a full week of interviews to capture all one wished. 

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