Sonia O'Sullivan
- Born
- Nov 28, 1969 (56 years old)
- Birthplace
- Cobh, Ireland
- Events
- 3000 m · 2000 Metres
- Height
- 1.73 m
- Weight
- 53 kg
Sonia O'Sullivan (born 28 November 1969) is an Irish former track and field athlete. She won a gold medal in the 5000 metres at the 1995 World Championships, and a silver medal in the 5000 metres at the 2000 Olympic Games. Her 2000 m world record of 5:25.36, set in 1994 stood until 2017.
O'Sullivan first came to prominence when winning the 1500 m at the 1991 Universiade, before going on to finish fourth in the 3000 m final at the 1992 Olympic Games. She then won a silver medal in the 1500 m at the 1993 World Championships. She was the favourite for the 5000 m title at the 1996 Olympic Games but dropped out of the final due to illness.
As well as her 1995 World title, she won three gold medals at the European Championships, in the 3000 m (1994), 5000 m (1998) and 10,000 m (1998), and is a two-time World Cross Country Champion. O'Sullivan won silver medals in the 5000 m and 10,000 m at the 2002 European Championships, and competed at her fourth Olympic Games in 2004. She is known for her dramatic kick, clocking 28-second final 200 m splits in some of her races. She is one of two women (the other Tirunesh Dibaba) who won the short and long course World Cross Country title at the same championship (1998 in Marrakesh).
As of Oct 27, 2026: 3000 m 8:21.64 (#21 all-time), 2000 Metres 5:25.36, 2015 season best 3:03:39 (Oct 26, 2015, Dublin (IRL)) · Olympic Games: 1 silver · World Championships: 1 gold, 1 silver · Area record (2000 Metres) · 56 years old
Personal bests
WA points calculator →Medals
| Competitions | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | – | 1 | – | 1 |
| World Championships | 1 | 1 | – | 2 |
| Total | 1 | 2 | – | 3 |
Progression
| Season | Discipline | Result | Wind | Date | Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Marathon | 3:03:39 | – | Oct 26, 2015 | Dublin (IRL) |
| 2014 | 1500m | 4:58.51 | – | Mar 20, 2014 | Melbourne (AUS) |
| 2011 | 10Kilometr | 39:03 | – | Mar 27, 2011 | London (GBR) |
| 2010 | 5Kilometre | 17:46 | – | Sep 5, 2010 | London (GBR) |
| 2008 | Semi | 1:19:44 | – | Sep 21, 2008 | Philadelphia, PA (USA) |
| 2008 | Marathon | 2:52:50 | – | Apr 21, 2008 | Boston Marathon |
| 2007 | 3000m | 9:04.5h | – | Feb 16, 2007 | Melbourne (AUS) |
| 2007 | 5000m | 16:04.39 | – | Mar 2, 2007 | Melbourne (AUS) |