O'Sullivan on mum's records: 'We are coming for the rest'

Irish middle-distance runner Sophie O'Sullivan is setting her sights on her mother Sonia O'Sullivan's impressive collection of athletics records. The younger O'Sullivan recently broke a championship record at the national championships, a feat that has fueled her ambition to chase down her mother's remaining records.

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One record down yesterday so we're coming for the rest now. We've got about 20 more to go maybe.

"One record down yesterday so we're coming for the rest now. We've got about 20 more to go maybe," Sophie joked, referencing her mother's extensive list of achievements. This statement was made as she prepared to compete in the 1500m heats at the European Championships, with her mother Sonia watching from the RTÉ studio.

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I definitely always try and get to the start with a smile. I think it potentially is just the way that my face is looking when I'm running. Maybe a grimace, maybe a smile. I guess best it looks like a smile.

O'Sullivan's recent success includes running a solo race to a new championship record at the national championships, achieved in less-than-ideal conditions. This performance follows her gritty qualification for the semi-finals at last year's World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, where she secured sixth place by a mere 0.08 seconds after a bone stress injury had limited her training.

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I was there for five years, I never really won anything to be honest when I was there. You just feel like you have to come away with something after all that time. I think it was really good to just feel like you gave something back to the university. It was probably the best I've felt in a while so it was a good start to the year.

Now in her first year as a full-time athlete, O'Sullivan previously competed collegiately at the University of Washington. She followed in her mother's footsteps by winning an NCAA title, becoming the fifth Irishwoman to achieve this. However, her time in the U.S. was not always filled with victories, and she expressed satisfaction in finally achieving a significant win for the university. She noted that the timing felt right to conclude her collegiate career and move on to professional athletics.

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I felt like it was good timing to wrap it up and it was enough time there. You get to appreciate all the people and everyone there who's helped you out and it's nice you still hear from them a lot and I think that's like just a nice thing to have as well; it's like another ext