A former Australian under-20 champion has debuted for Ireland at the Olympics, achieving an extremely rare slice of history as she followed in her legendary mother’s footsteps.
Sophie O’Sullivan set a new personal best when she finished her 1500m heat in a time 4:00.23, just six tenths shy of a sixth-place finish that provides automatic entry to the semi-finals.
The 22-year-old, who was charging towards the top six before a tangle on the last turn, will now line up in the repechage round for a last-chance shot at extending her family’s legacy in the Olympics.
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O’Sullivan’s mum Sonia was a star runner for Ireland, winning 5000m silver at Sydney 2000 in a career littered with medals at world and European championships.
Her father is Nic Bideau, the Australian running coach behind many top competitors and most famous for his relationship with Cathy Freeman, who he also managed.
Sonia and Bideau’s children were born and raised in Melbourne, with Sophie O’Sullivan a dual citizen holding the choice of representing her birth country or Ireland.
She switched to Ireland in 2018 but remained active in Australia, winning the under-20 800m title at the 2019 national championships.
O’Sullivan first competed on the big stage at the 2023 world championships and can now call herself an Olympian just like her mum — something seldom seen in the world of athletics.
“I saw that there had been only maybe three mother/daughter Olympians, so that’s been fun. It feels pretty good. She is here with me and it’s great to have her here,” she told the BBC.
O’Sullivan’s decision to race for Ireland flipped the script after Sonia finished her career trying to run for Australia at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Bideau last year said it was a conscious choice for O’Sullivan to compete for Ireland rather than Australia given the opportunity to make the Olympics.
“She‘s getting her chance and everyone in Australia knows her when she was at school, when she was a kid and they don’t care, they’re still going to cheer her,” he told News Corp.
“She is still wearing green, just not wearing gold.”
Australia sent Jess Hull, Linden Hall and Georgia Griffith to Paris in the 1500m — the latter being a Bideau protege.
The family affair came to a head in the heats when Griffith finished three places ahead of O’Sullivan.
“Immediately, I’m a little bit disappointed as it’s right there,” O’Sullivan said of her race.
“I really thought I had it but maybe that is the problem. When you think you have it you can get too excited.
“I didn’t think it was very fast at all, which I guess is a good sign. I feel better than that.
“I got a big caught up and tripped at the last bend. That slowed me down and I can come back tomorrow and have a good crack at it.”
O’Sullivan has been based in the US as a University of Washington student-athlete.
