Legend Sonia visits St Fintan’s High School

THIS time last year, the Sam Maguire was regularly being paraded around Dublin schools, after the county’s long-awaited All-Ireland success.

But another Cork legend, Sonia O’Sullivan, was the star attraction at St Fintan’s High School, Sutton, last Thursday.

The north Dublin school has recently developed a reputation as an athletics nursery, with so many youngsters emerging from there.

In March, their Under-17 team was crowned All-Ireland Schools Cross-Country Champions.

Coach Paddy Noonan (71) has been central to their rise to prominence and last week, he was delighted to welcome O’Sullivan to the college.

The bulk of her afternoon was spent with first-year students; she started a well-attended cross-country race and answered several of their insightful questions in the gymnasium.

Sonia, now living in Australia, also took time out to speak with Northside People.

She began by giving advice to youngsters of a similar age who are new to the sport.

“The main thing is to enjoy it and to get a group of friends out there and get them to enjoy it as well. It’s much easier for people to run when they are running with people,

? she said.

“If you are going for a run and you are meeting people, you are more likely to turn up than if it’s just yourself, especially as it’s getting dark and cold now, heading into the winter.

“It’s always good to be competitive, but don’t take it too seriously. It’s not the be-all and end-all and, if you don’t win, you have to accept that.

“So go out there and try your best and if you don’t win, just walk away and be nice to the people who have won and respect them and learn from it.

?

As you get older, however, there is no harm in taking it more seriously, just as O’Sullivan did. She won a silver medal in the 5,000m at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

Running in Ireland is extremely popular at present, as testified by the 42,000 members of athletics clubs nationwide and the road-running craze.

But Sonia pointed out there has been demise in the standards at club level.

“I think there’s a huge gap between the very best and the fun runners,

? she said.

“There is a gap in the middle that’s missing, which is the club runners that would have been there years ago.

“As a social thing, it’s become more of an easy jog and it’s not so competitive.

“There’s a gap missing there of people who push the top end, so that, if you are the best in Ireland, you want to have a little bit of fear in the back of your mind that there’s someone there who is going to beat you.

“But I don’t think that’s there anymore because you can be the best in Ireland for a long time and you can just ride along on that. I think a lot of people do that.

?

Sonia added:

“Whereas years ago, there was always someone there waiting, if you slipped up, to take your place, to push you and make sure you are always looking over your shoulder, in case someone is going to pass you out. The depth is not there, as much as it was before.

?

Before departing St Fintan’s, Sonia was presented with a large cake to mark her 43rd birthday, which falls this month.

She continues to keep fit, though, either running, swimming or cycling every day.

“You feel really good when you have a purpose to your health and your fitness,

? she added.

“I go to bed at night and, in my mind, I know what I am going to do for exercise the next day.

“As long as I do that, then I can do anything – I am quite happy to meet all challenges that come my way.

?