24th August 2003 - Paris - special to Irish Runner.com by Dave Mervyn
Farranfore's recently turned 27-year-old Gillian O'Sullivan walked her way into Irish athletic history books winning only Ireland's fourth medal in World outdoor Championship history in the Stade de France, Paris, this morning.

She's also the first woman bar Sonia O'Sullivan to claim a medal and receives $30,000 for her second place behind Russia's Yelena Nikolayeva, the World leader this season and current Olympic champion.

O'Sullivan's time of 1:27.33 was 0.11 seconds off her personal best set this year, despite picking up one warning on her way around the 20km course for lifting.

It has been a successful year for the five-time 20k national champion and she pointed out afterwards that she was determined not the let the pressure of a major final get to her. 'People were saying I'd get a medal and there's an outside chance for me, but I just took that in my stride and did it. I'm pleased, absolutely thrilled.'

'At 10k I thought there was a medal there for me. The Russian and an Italian who finished behind me was close so I had to keep working hard to maintain the gap. I didn't really let go until the final straight. There's been a steady progression in me over the years and the experience I've gained from winning the Grand Prix series races in Mexico and Milan has stood to me.'

O'Sullivan led at 5km at 22:09 and kept second behind the Championship record pace of Nikolayeva.

After the race, Irish Runner.com's Dave Mervyn caught up with Gillian O'Sullivan after the race.

'This is just fantastic,' said the UCC graduate, who finished just out of the medals at last year's European Championships in Munich. 'I decided to settle for the silver rather than try and catch Nikolayeva. But this really sets me up for next year's Olympics in Athens and it shows what I can achieve. We went off hard but I was prepared for both slow and fast races so there wasn't any problem. There were only three of us left in it at five kilometres and though we were walking at my limits I felt okay. The hardest part was around 13 to 17kms because there were constant changes behind me and I had to push all I could. First I thought there was an Italian behind my shoulder, then a Russian and finally the Belorussian. At that point I wasn't sure if I could keep my position but decided to fight and try to get a medal anyway. I pushed it hard until I was inside the stadium; it was just then that I let go. I have done a lot of competition and have got a lot of experience and finishing fourth last year give me a lot of confidence.'

As well as Gillian O'Sullivan's silver medal, there was further joy within the Irish camp as Galway's Olive Loughnane, 27, bettered her 2001 Worlds performance by finishing 12th in this morning's 20km race.

Loughnane was Ireland's best overall performer two years' ago in Edmonton with 13th position, and her finishing time today of 1:30.53 was narrowly outside her personal best, 1:30.29.

A slow first 5km had her placed down the field and she clocked 47:25 at the halfway point in 33rd place. But a great effort from the 2002 National Indoor 3km Champion saw her climb eighteen places over the second part of the race. At 15km she had moved to 15th at 1:07.56 and entered the stadium with hopes of shaving a second off her PB but it wasn't to be.