
Like mother, like daughter: Sophie O'Sullivan wins the NCAA 1,500m title in dominant style
With a dominant style reminiscent of her mother,
Sophie O'Sullivan
won the prestigious NCAA 1,500m title at Hayward Field in Oregon on Saturday night, the climax of the US collegiate track and field season.
It was O'Sullivan's final race representing the University of Washington in Seattle, and the 23-year-old made the absolute most of it. Hitting the front with two laps to go, she gradually wore down her rivals before kicking clear in the last 200 metres – her last lap a blazing 58.43 seconds, her winning time a season best of 4:07.94.
Sophie O'Sullivan of the Washington Huskies reacts after winning the Women's 1,500m NCAA title at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Photograph: C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
There was no disguising her utter delight on the line, O'Sullivan finished at the back of this race in her last two appearances, her preparations hampered by injury. 'Pretty f**king happy,' she told trackside reporters. 'I felt this year I was a different person, a different athlete. And based on the races I've had recently, I had no reason to think I should run bad.'
O'Sullivan became only the fifth Irish woman to win an NCAA title, following in the strides of her famous mother Sonia, who won the 3,000m with Villanova in 1990 and 1991. Valerie McGovern also won the 5,000m in 1990 and later Mary Cullen in 2006, before
Rhasidat Adekele
became the first Irish woman to win a sprint title, running 49.20 to claim the 400m with the University of Texas three years ago.
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Women's 1500m National Champion
🏆 Sophie O'Sullivan of
📊 4:07.94
— NCAA Track & Field (@NCAATrackField)
After the bunched field reached 800m in 2:21, O'Sullivan had seen enough, taking over at the front and never looking back. She ran her last two laps in 2:04.51, and although Margot Appleton from the University of Virginia chased hard, she had to settle for second in 4:08.99.
'Usually there's a lot of talk about being the person that wants to win the most, and I think there was a bit of that,' added O'Sullivan. 'I really wanted to win the most, but I think also I was probably okay if I didn't win, if it meant I gave my best.'
Sophie O'Sullivan with her mother Sonia after winning the NCAA 1,500m title in Oregon, June 2025. Photograph: University of Washington
Her mother Sonia was present at the famed Hayward Field to witness the moment of triumph.
O'Sullivan will now continue her preparations for the World Championships in Tokyo in September, having run a lifetime best 4:00.23 at the Paris Olympics last summer, just missing out on qualification for the semi-finals.
She made her Irish debut at the European Under-18 Championships in Gyor, Hungary in 2018, winning silver in the 800m behind Britain's Keely Hodgkinson, who won the Olympic gold medal in Paris last summer. O'Sullivan then added the European Under-23 1,500m title in 2023, beating teammate Sarah Healy into second place.
Oregon was hosting the 43rd staging of the women's NCAA championships, beginning in 1982 in Provo, Utah, while the men's championships have been running since 1921. Only four Irish-born men achieved the feat of winning an NCAA title on the track; Ronnie Delany, John Lawlor (twice in the hammer) Eamonn Coghlan (twice in the 1,500m) and Frank O'Mara. Sean Dollman and Alistair Cragg, both South African born before declaring for Ireland, also won three, Cragg the last of them with his 10,000m title in 2004.
Bow Down!!! 🥇✨
Sophie O'Sullivan DOMINATES to become the first UW woman to win a running event at NCAAs since Katie Flood also won the 1500m in 2012.
— Washington Track & Field and Cross Country (@UWTrack)
Elsewhere, Efrem Giday finished second in the British 10,000m championships in Birmingham, clocking 28:09.36. The title went to Britain's Emile Cairess who clocked a new personal best of 27:27.95, with Ellis Cross third in 28:14.47.
Nick Griggs also made welcome return to form at the British Milers Club event in Belfast, winning the mile in 3:55.97, having missed several months of training due to an infection in his knee.
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The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
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Sophie O'Sullivan storms to NCAA gold as Rhasidat Adeleke fades to in Stockholm Diamond League meeting
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RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Rhasidat Adeleke sixth in Stockholm, Sophie O'Sullivan wins NCAA title
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Extra.ie
3 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Like mother, like daughter: Sophie O'Sullivan makes history as Sonia beams with pride
Irish athletics legend Sonia O'Sullivan had a front-row seat to witness a moment of history as her daughter, Sophie O'Sullivan, powered her way to victory in the NCAA 1500m final in Oregon. The 23-year-old University of Washington star clinched her first NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track and Field Championship title, crossing the finish line in a superb 4:07.94, a career-best achievement on one of the biggest stages in collegiate athletics. With the win, Sophie becomes only the fifth Irishwoman to ever claim an NCAA title, joining an elite list that includes her own mother, Sonia, who won NCAA gold in both 1990 and 1991. Irish athletics legend Sonia O'Sullivan. Pic: Inpho/Patrick Bolger The historic group also features Rhasidat Adeleke (400m and relays, 2022–2023), Mary Cullen (5000m, 2006), and Valerie McGovern (5000m, 1989 and 1990). Already a standout athlete in her own right, Sophie's NCAA victory marks a defining moment in her career – and echoes the legacy of her mother, the 2000 Olympic silver medallist. View this post on Instagram A post shared by FloTrack (@flotrack) Following the race, Sophie gave an interview with FloTrack, clearly riding high from the win: 'Pretty f*ing happy!'** she laughed when asked how she felt. 'I kind of really thought someone was going to close on me there, so I was probably a bit scared and just ran as far as I could. Then I looked around, and I was like, actually, that's not too bad.' Irish athletics legend Sonia O'Sullivan had a front-row seat to witness a moment of history as her daughter, Sophie O'Sullivan, powered her way to victory in the NCAA 1500m final in Oregon. Pic: Instagram She added: 'I just wanted to give my best, and I think that's what mattered most to me, even if I hadn't won. But I wanted to win… maybe more than anyone else.' Athletics fans were quick to notice the striking resemblance between Sophie's late-race finishing kick and Sonia's signature surge — a similarity that has become a talking point among enthusiasts on social media. That kick! 🔥 Sophie O'Sullivan running away from the field to win the Women's 1500m at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene 🤩🎥#