A big night awaits Sophie O'Sullivan on Thursday when she makes her first appearance at a Diamond League meeting at the Weltklasse Zürich in Switzerland.
The 24 year old Ballymore Cobh AC athlete has been named in a strong women’s 1500m field at the Letzigrund Stadium, where she will compete against several established names from the international circuit.
The race itself is listed as a non Diamond League event within the wider meeting programme. However, it will be O’Sullivan’s first time competing at an official Diamond League meeting.
O’Sullivan claimed victory over 1500m at the Morton Games in July, holding off American Chloe Foerster to win in 4:08.26. She followed that by securing her second Irish senior 1500m title, producing a commanding run of 4:05.62 at the National Championships.
That performance also lowered the championship record previously held by her mother, Sonia O’Sullivan.
Her most significant breakthrough of the season came over the shorter 800m distance at the British Milers Club Grand Prix in London.
O’Sullivan won the race in 1:59.65, breaking the two minute barrier for the first time. The performance moved her to third on the Irish all time list behind national record holder Ciara Mageean and Louise Shanahan.
Only three Irish women have now completed 800m in under two minutes.
Her excellent form was evident again at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, where O’Sullivan progressed through the heats and reached her first senior European 1500m final.
She finished eighth in 4:11.72, joining Sarah Healy inside the European top eight and gaining valuable experience of the positioning and decision making required in a tightly packed championship race.
Zürich will present a different test.
Kenya’s Susan Ejore Sanders owns the quickest personal best among the entrants at 3:56.07. Australia’s Linden Hall has run 3:56.33, while Britain’s Katie Snowden brings a best of 3:56.72.
Poland’s Weronika Lizakowska and American Heather MacLean have also run comfortably below 3:58. Portugal’s Salomé Afonso, Spain’s Marta García and Italy’s Gaia Sabbatini complete a group of eight women in the field who have already broken four minutes.
Her personal best stands at 4:00.23, recorded during the opening round of the 1500m at the Paris Olympics in 2024. She is only 0.24 seconds away from joining the Irish sub four minute club.
Racing against regular Diamond League competitors should give O’Sullivan another feel for the pace, physicality and positioning required at the highest level. There are few better places to gain that experience than under the lights at the Letzigrund Stadium.
Following victories at the Morton Games and National Championships, a first sub two minute 800m and a European final appearance, Zürich represents another important step forward.
Elsewhere at Weltklasse Zürich
There may be no Irish athletes involved in the Diamond disciplines, but the wider meeting is packed with major names. Olympic champion Julien Alfred will face world champion Melissa Jefferson Wooden, Sha’Carri Richardson and four time European champion Amy Hunt in a formidable women’s 100m. Karsten Warholm and Alison dos Santos renew their rivalry in the men’s 400m hurdles, while Mondo Duplantis will be one of the main attractions in the pole vault. Even after Keely Hodgkinson’s withdrawal, the women’s 800m remains a fascinating contest, with European champion Audrey Werro facing world champion Lilian Odira, European 1500m champion Georgia Hunter Bell and Dutch record holder Femke Broeders Bol. The official start lists contain eight individual Olympic champions and 11 world champions.
