O'Sullivan hoping to rediscover true class

ATHLETICS: After 75 years, the Weltklasse meeting in Zurich still prides itself on assembling the leading athletes in every event, and for Sonia O'Sullivan that means tonight's run over 3,000 metres will offer an uncompromising test before the attention shifts firmly to the World Championships in Paris in a week's time.

No athlete wants to endure a disappointing run in the days before a major championship. And with almost all of her main rivals for Paris also in the field in Zurich's Golden League meeting, the least O'Sullivan is seeking is the sort of world-class time that has so far eluded her this season.

Three other athletes on the track tonight have real ambitions of winning the world 5,000 metres title, which remains the true focus of O'Sullivan's year. Leading them is her old Romanian rival Gabriela Szabo, who has already clocked eight minutes 34.09 for 3,000 metres, the fastest in the world this season.

Berhane Adere of Ethiopia and Edith Masai of Kenya have been fronting the African challenge this season and both are in commanding form.

O'Sullivan's summer best remains the 8:49.46 she clocked when finishing fifth in Gateshead last month. Yet last weekend was the most encouraging of the season, with her two quality 5,000 metres runs in 48 hours - a sixth-place finish in the London Grand Prix (15:06.09) and then her national title win in Santry (15:20.68).

It is unlikely O'Sullivan is yet in form to win tonight, although a positive run would raise the confidence a few more degrees and leave her in fine shape to launch another medal challenge in Paris. In fact she had originally planned to avoid all the Golden League meetings, only for her recent turn of form to persuade her to run in Zurich.

Tonight's meeting then is the fifth stop on the Golden League tour, with only the Brussels meeting on September 5th to come. Yet the race for the $1 million jackpot is down to one, as only Maria Mutola of Mozambique has won her event, the 800 metres, in all meetings to date. A win tonight and again in Brussels and the jackpot is hers alone.

The Weltklasse continues to fit its billing as the Olympics in one night, with world champions or world record-holders or both in practically every event.

Live TV coverage of the Golden League in Ireland remains the exclusive right of Sky Sports, and O'Sullivan's race sets off at 7.20 Irish time.

Several other Irish athletes, meanwhile, will use tonight's Dublin International meeting in Santry to polish their preparations for Paris - including Peter Coghlan (110 metres hurdles), Paul Brizzel (200 metres) and David McCarthy and Gary Ryan (both 4 x 400 metres).

The highlight of the meeting, which starts at 6.30, should be the Morton Mile (8.15), which features James Nolan, the athlete unluckiest to miss out on Paris selection. Beaten by Gareth Turnbull in last weekend's national 1,500 metres, and thus missing qualification for Paris, Nolan will attempt to find some consolation over the classic distance.

With two quality Kenyans in the mix (Sammy Mutai and David Kiplak), Nolan may well approach his best, 3:56.31, or at least dip once again under four minutes - still one of the magical barriers in the sport.