Special to Irish Runner.com by Eoghan Murphy

In the space of a few days last summer, Ireland's distance running tradition seemed to have run dry. For the previous decade Sonia O'Sullivan and Mark Carroll excelled. But when the Athens Olympics came around last year, it was clear that neither of them were set to run well.

Both ran the 5,000m in Athens: Sonia advanced beyond the heats but ran as glued to the floor in the final; Carroll did not progress. It was sad to see them bow out in such an inappropriate manner.

Putting into perspective the influence Sonia has had on Irish sport is an arduous task. Suffice to say that she is without doubt the finest athlete this isle has ever produced. The fact that she holds every Irish record from 800m to the half marathon and twelve major championship medals copper-fastens that position.

Mark Carroll may not be remembered in the same vein - though the impact he has made on the sport should not be underestimated. If Carroll had been born years before, he would have been an enduring star. He has decimated every Irish middle distance record, usurping revered stars John Treacy and Eamonn Coghlan and Frank O'Mara.

He also features prominently on the European all-time lists: only eight athletes have bettered his 13:03.95 5,000m best, and several of those are either of African origin or have had their reputations tainted by drugs. His achievements are all the more remarkable when you consider is career has been dogged by injury.

Carroll announced after the Games that he had graced the track stage for the final time. And though Sonia was reluctant to make a similar declaration, few fans would expect her to again drape the tricolour over her shoulders in victory salute.

In light of the enumerated achievements of Carroll and O'Sullivan, allied to the success of Catherina McKiernan, there is a totally misguided perception in athletics circles that the past decade has been a heady one for Irish distance running.

The truth is that our tradition has corroded beyond recognition. The halcyon days of the 1980s, when Ireland regularly sent the full quota of athletes to major championships in all distance events, were a far cry from the past decade in which we rarely sent more than one athlete in each event.

The only leavening moments of distance brilliance of late in Ireland were by Cathal Lombard. But like Michelle Smith, his improvements smelt fishy from the outset. His positive test for EPO in July was just the tonic for cynical hearts.

But, out of the green, along come a crop of junior men and win silver medals at the European Cross Country Championships. The winning of them was almost entirely without drum-roll or preamble.

Team leader Mark Christie did not surprise with his fifth place; last year he finished just one place further back. Ever since he was twelve, Christie has looked set to add his name to the succinct scroll of athletes who have won major medals for Ireland.

So it is perhaps surprising that he has not developed further.

For much of the race in Germany he looked set to finish fourth, but a lack of strength in the closing stages cost him a place.

Last year Christie was confident of scaling exalted heights on the international circuit as a senior. Yet when pressed on his grounds for optimism, he last January told this reporter: "I think I can reach the top in the sport - you only have to look at Cathal Lombard running 13:19 (for 5,000m) last year to see that white men can compete on the world stage."

Hopefully, Lombard's falling from grace has not shattered that belief.

Though Christie's performance in Germany surprised few, it was shocking to see Andrew Ledwith hot on his heels. But Ledwith has shown potential for years, even before he decided to join the legendary North Mon academy last year.

Ledwith, who posted seventh, has decided to thread the same avenue as Carroll and O'Sullivan in his pursuit of greatness: he has just taken up a scholarship at Iona College, New York.

With Danny Darcy, in eleventh, and Jamie McCarthy, in thirty first, providing a strong backbone, the team secured Ireland's first junior medals at this level since 1999. They can now bask in this triumph and attempt to come of age over the following months.

Coming into the last lap, they seemed primed to gain the ultimate accolade and reach the summit of the podium. Alas, it was not to be.

Team Manager Patsy McGonagle was afterwards reported as saying that second place was "as good as we could have hoped for." Such an attitude is defeatist and at odds with the factual situation. A manager should transmit to his charges a positive mentality and ensure that they have an untrammelled belief in their ability.

This event is far less competitive than the signature event of the cross-country calendar, the World Championships. The disappointment is that as almost all of this team is now overage for junior athletics, they will not compete together in the World Cross in March.

But let us appreciate the success of this team and encourage them as they attempt to make the transition to senior athletics. They should look at O'Sullivan and Carroll and see that a breakthrough on the big stage is possible.