IRISH athlete Sophie O’Sullivan has broken the Irish under-23 3000 metre record following a hard-fought race in Italy.
O’Sullivan, a native of Cobh in Co. Cork who is the daughter of Olympic medal winner Sonia O’Sullivan, was competing at the Palio Citta' Della Quercia in Rovereto last night.
She posted a time of 8:44:72, which saw her finish second behind Ethiopian Wubrist Aschal’s 8:44:13 time.
Despite her defeat, O’Sullivan managed to knock nearly two seconds off the previous Irish record, held by Sarah Healy since July 2022.
The 21-year-old, of the Ballymore Cobh athletics club, who is currently studying at the University of Washington, has had a breakthrough 2023 so far.
She made the NCAA 1500m final, winning European U23 1500m gold in July, before running a 1500m personal best at the World Championships in Budapest in August, which saw her secure qualification for next year’s Olympic Games in the process.
She now moves to third on the Irish senior all-time list behind Mary Cullen and her mother Sonia.
