Sonia O’Sullivan’s daughter Sophie, is after winning the 1500m at the European Athletics U23 Championships in Espoo, Finland.
Sonia had some great advice for Sophie ahead of the race, which she won representing Ireland.
Sophie explained that there’s no differentiation between her mother as a parent and as an Olympian as she shared the advice given to her.
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She said: “She did send me a message. She just said, ‘Make sure you stay as close as you can to them for as long as you can. Just pay attention on the third lap’. Because sometimes I can drift away a bit and get distracted. Nothing too crazy, have your fun and enjoy.”
During an interview with RSVP in December, Sonia reflected on how the athletics world has changed for women athletes since she was competing herself.
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She said: “There are a lot more choices of sport for female athletes now and also a lot more support structures in place particularly once the athletes reach the international level and represent Ireland on the International stage.”
Continuing on she said: “There is so much more acceptance and appreciation of women in sport, which is the greatest encouragement and motivation for you female athletes setting out on their sporting journey.”
Adding: “Athletics was one of the few sports where male and female athletes competing on the same stage got equal support. I was competing at a time when the sport was progressing each year and always doing more for female athletes.”
We can’t wait to see Sophie follow in her mum’s footsteps!
