Sonia's confidence takes a hit as ambitious double attempt backfires

A World Indoor Championships which started out with Sonia O'Sullivan's exciting attempt on double gold ended in the worst case scenario yesterday when she trailed home a distant last in the 1,500 metres final.

It was hoped O'Sullivan would find some consolation for the seventh place finish in Saturday's 3,000 metres. Instead, she leaves Lisbon with two of her most disappointing performances in recent years and, perhaps more worryingly, a significant crack in her confidence ahead of the World Cross Country championships in a fortnight.

It wasn't the first time that the Irishwoman came to a major event and threw the book of logic out the window. She thought about the double sometime last week and it looked possible. If she'd thought hard about it, then she may have decided otherwise.

There is little doubt Saturday's 3,000 metres final, which came just an hour and 45 minutes after she completed her 1,500 metre heat, could have provided her with at least some hardware. Yet by then, the demanding schedule of four championship races in a little over two days was already taking its toll and she never once threatened the leaders with her presence.

Yesterday, she at least put herself in front at the start in an effort to dominate the proceedings. After leading through 800 metres in a casual two minutes 22 seconds, however, it was clear the big kickers were just lining up behind her. When Portugal's Carla Sacramento then burst to the front with three laps to go, almost the entire field flew past in tight succession. Shortly afterwards, a gap of some five metres had opened and O'Sullivan's race was over.

As Hasna Benhassi of Morocco took the surprise win in 4.10.83, O'Sullivan appeared distraught and exhausted when coming home ninth in a pedestrian 4.19.40.

"I have nothing at all to say about that," was the only thing she could offer. Yet the fact does remain that the cross country championships in Ostend was always going to be her main target at this stage of the season. It was confirmed over the weekend that she is concentrating solely on the short course race, and having come to these championships in exciting form after her winter training in Australia, it is still possible that this weekend's failure may well be turned around.

Just how much the succession of disappointing races will affect her confidence remains to be seen. For a start, Saturday's 3,000 metres confrontation with Gabriela Sazbo was expected to provide the first chance for revenge since the Sydney Olympics, but instead offered the first suggestion that her ambitious attempt on a double was about to backfire.

Szabo immediately hit the front in an effort to draw the sting out of O'Sullivan, but she ended up taking the sting of herself as well. Olga Yegorovia from Russia stole that show by winning gold in 8.37.48, over two seconds clear of the Romanian.

O'Sullivan had dropped to the rear after just two laps and only closed to seventh as the runners ahead of her dropped back, eventually clocking 8.44.37. That she improved her national indoor record offered no consolation.

Part of O'Sullivan's problem there undoubtedly came from the 1,500 metre heat so soon before, which she ended up running almost flat out in order to qualify for the final in third in 4.11.27. Yet she was unable to be sure just how much she had drained her tank.

"Obviously it's not something you normally do before a race," she said. "I did feel very ordinary, although I felt quite good in the 1,500. I don't really know where the gap opened in the 3,000 metres but it did, and I never got back on. If I did then I might have had a chance but I never gave myself that chance."

There was never any question that she would come back yesterday and give herself another chance in the 1,500 metres, but the quality of athletes in the field meant that a medal of any sort would be hard-earned. Sacramento, even with the home support, ended up fourth.

Yet it if reflected the sort of gamble that O'Sullivan was taking over the course of the last three days. If there is any consolation to be found, then at least she will go into the cross country championships with plenty of races in her legs.