Athletics: MUM-DERFUL RUN, SONIA

IRELAND'S Sonia O'Sullivan made a winning return to the track in Australia today - just 10 weeks after the birth of her second daughter.

The Olympic 5,000 metres silver medallist easily triumphed in a low-key meeting in Melbourne's Olympic Park where Australia's 400m golden girl Cathy Freeman was continuing on her own comeback trail.

Now O'Sullivan will race in Sunday's Irish Cross-Country trials after which she will decide whether to compete in the worlds in Dublin in three weeks' time having already been pre-selected. "Sophie was born 10 weeks ago today and I was back running within nine days," said O'Sullivan, who lives in Australia for much of the year, after clocking 16 minutes 0.94 seconds to win the Victorian Open 5,000m title.

"It is good to be back on the track. You always want to run faster but the conditions were not ideal. Another time I could have gone a minute faster."

O'Sullivan, who won by over 27 seconds, made a similar rapid return to the track after the birth of her first daughter, Ciara, in July 1999 and went on to break the world best for five miles later that year.

The 32-year-old will be looking for a repeat when Dublin stages the world championships having been forced to scrap last year's event because of the foot and mouth outbreak in Britain.

O'Sullivan, who heads back to Ireland on Tuesday, will be looking for a tougher race than yesterday's victory before deciding whether to bid to regain her world crown.

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