Born in Cobh, County Cork, Sonia O'Sullivan is Ireland's best ever athlete, having won Olympic Silver and multiple World Championship gold medals, both on the track and cross country.
As a child, Sonia wasn't national champion: but only because these weren't held for girls Her first major international race was in 1990, when she finished 11th in 3,000 metres in the European Championships. Less than a year later, she took more than 5 seconds...