Following in Her Footsteps: 'It Feels Great to Join My Mother as an Olympian'.

Athletics Paris Olympics 2024

Posted 2 months ago

Following in Her Footsteps: 'It Feels Great to Join My Mother as an Olympian'.

Ireland's Sophie O'Sullivan says it "feels pretty good" to follow in her mother Sonia's footsteps and become an Olympian.

At 22, Sophie O'Sullivan made her Olympic debut in the 1500 meters heats, narrowly missing an automatic place in the semi-finals. Her mother, Sonia, won silver in the 5,000 meters at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

Reflecting on her journey, Sophie shared with BBC Sport NI, "I saw that there had been only maybe three mother/daughter Olympians, so that's been fun."

The unique connection adds an extra layer of pride and excitement to her Olympic experience.

On her Olympic debut at the Stade de France, O'Sullivan set a personal best to qualify for the repechage on Wednesday morning. She believes she could have broken into the top six if not for a collision with Japan's Nozomi Tanaka with 150m remaining.

"Immediately, I'm a little bit disappointed as it's right there," she said. "I really thought I had it, but maybe that is the problem. When you think you have it, you can get too excited."