Edinburgh on 8th July 1994 was the setting for Sonia O Sullivan’s still standing World Record. 21 Years ago yesterday(Wednesday) Sonia smashed the 2,000 metre world record knocking more than three seconds off the record.

The Cork Legend clocked 5 minutes, 25.36 seconds at the TSB Challenge meet beating the old World Record set by Maricica Puica from Romania in July 1986.

In 1994 Sonia was in sparkling form, utterly dominating the international distance running circuit. She set the fastest time of the year in four events, the 1500 m, 1 mile, 2000 m and 3000 m, and the second fastest time in the 5000 m. The week after the record setting run in Edinburgh she broke the European record for the 3000 m in London and set the year’s fastest time of 8:21.64. This lasted until the controversial Romanian Gabriela Szabo bettered it. Three Days after her run in London she set her personal best, of 3:59.10, over 1500m. Four Days after that she won the mile at the Bislett Games in Oslo, in a time of 4:17.25 which moved O’Sullivan to fourth on the all-time world list.

After setting four Irish Records, a European Record and a World Record in 2 weeks, she easily won the European Title over 3000m in a time of 8:31.84.

Top 10 Performances over 2000m

1 5:25.36 Sonia O’Sullivan IRL 28.11.69 1 Edinburgh 08.07.1994
2 5:26.93 Yvonne Murray GBR 04.10.64 2 Edinburgh 08.07.1994
3 5:27.50 Genzebe Dibaba ETH 08.02.91 1 Ostrava 17.06.2014
4 5:28.69 Maricica Puica ROU 29.07.50 1 London 11.07.1986
5 5:28.72 Tatyana Kazankina RUS 17.12.51 2 Moskva 04.08.1984
6 5:29.41+ Wang Junxia CHN 09.01.73 1h2 Beijing 12.09.1993
7 5:29.42 Genzebe Dibaba ETH 08.02.91 1 Sollentuna 26.06.2014
8 5:29.58 Yvonne Murray GBR 04.10.64 2 London 11.07.1986
9 5:29.64 Tatyana Pozdnyakova UKR 04.03.56 2 Moskva 04.08.1984
10 5:29.65+ Wang Junxia CHN 09.01.73 1 Beijing 13.09.1993

See the RTE News Report from the day here