Would Sonia O'Sullivan still be World 5,000m champion had she opted just to defend her title in Athens rather that aiming for the double? We will never know the answer, of course, but Sonia must have cursed inwardly as she watched the 5k final develop - it was a race tailor-made for her.

O'Sullivan's fragile self-confidence was shattered by events on the back straight in the 1,500m final. By the time the semifinal of the 5,OOOm arrived she was running on instinct - and at the highest level that is simply not sufficient. Her failure' provoked a virulent outbreak of amateur psychoanalysis. But one of her problems is that there are too many experts offering her advice. There are signs, however, that she is beginning to come to terms with the fact that she simply cannot run herself out of this crisis. A recognition of the problem is the first step on the journey to recovery. Sonia is still a world-class athlete, and at 27 her best years could still be ahead of her. But her loss of form is more than just a blip, and all the evidence suggests that more racing will not cure it. Convincing any athlete, never mind an ex-world champion, that a complete break would do a lot more good that half a dozen track sessions is a difficult task. But Sonia must take the long-term view. Next year is a relatively quiet one in terms of world athletics, the European Championships being the main feature of the summer program.

Gary Ryan set a new Irish Record for the 200m in Athens.

Nobody knows for sure whether a year's rest would solve Sonia's problems. But it would enable her to return refreshed to the sport she so obviously loves, with plenty of time to prepare for the 1999 World Championships in Seville and the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

Her parting remark to journalists as tears welled after the 5,000m semifinal was as revealing as it was poignant: 'I do it (running) because I love it.'

With Sonia's eclipse it was left to Susan Smith to give Ireland something to celebrate. One place away from the Olympic final last summer, Smith reached the high ground in Athens. She smashed her own Irish record in the first round, reducing it from 54.93 to 54.61. And even though there was no fairytale ending, seventh place in a final that contained just one other European augurs brilliantly for her prospects in Budapest next year.

Susan was a schoolgirl when John Treacy brought home Olympic silver medal to his and her native Waterford. Susan got a chance to wear the medal once. I quite liked it,' she remarked in Athens. The chances are that she will soon bring home a major medal of her own.

There were mixed fortunes for the rest of the Irish competitors. The distance races and throwing events that have been our traditional stamping and cheering ground proved almost barren; yet we had national records by Gary Ryan in the 200m and by the 4x100m squad of the two Ryans, Kevin Cogley, and Tom Comyns. How times (and distances) have changed!

In order of appearance this is how the Irish fared:

 Sonia O'Sullivan (1,500m & 5,000m):

Sonia comfortably won heat 1 of the 1, 500m in 4.08.90 and finished fourth in the semifinal in her fastest time of the year, 4.05.31. In a tactical and controversial final, she was bumped on the back straight as Anita Weyermann barged open a gap. O'Sullivan grabbed Regina Jacob's vest and seemed to recover but was several metres adrift of Jacob and the eventual winner, Carlo Sacramento, at the final turn and drifted back to finish eighth in 4.07.81. She took an early lead in the 5,OOOm semifinal but then drifted and lost contact with the lead group on the eighth lap. A fighting final lap lifted her from ninth to seventh (15.40.82).

Sinead's tears of disappointment after failing to reach the final belied the fact that she continues to improve. She finished eighth (4.10.45) in her heat but made it through to the semis as a fastest loser. In the semifinal she posted her fastest time of the year (4.07.46) to finish seventh, missing the final by four tenths of a second.

Despite a better reaction time than the Olympic champion, Donovan Bailey (0.176 to 0.214), Neil could do no better than fifth in his heat in 10.57 (his Irish record being 10.46) and was eliminated.

His best throw of 67.96m was the fifth-worst of the competition. It bettered only efforts by competitors from Greece, Norfolk Island, Honduras, and Peru. But even if he had matched his PB 72.88 Roman would still not have reached the final.

Peter Coghlan (110m Hurdles): THE Yale student, in his first major championship, was pitted against seven men with faster PBs but finished a fighting sixth in a season's best 13.94 and missed a second round spot by an agonizing hundredth of a second.   Tom McGuirk (400m Hurdles): Drawn unluckily in lane 7, Tom made an excellent start in his heat but couldn't sustain the effort and finished fifth. His 49.93 was, however, a season's best, just shy of his Irish record 49.73 but not good enough to get him through as a fastest loser.

Peter Coghlan was at his first World Championships in Athens.

Terry finished 15th in the qualifying session. After two poor throws, he managed a season's best 77.90m, but was three places and more than 2m short of the last qualifying spot.

The danger of selecting athletes for a major championships based on the previous season's performances was underlined by Eugene's fate. He was tailed off in his heat, finishing seventh in 48.20. It was actually his season's best but well outside his PB 46.43.

Niall was spiked but still finished fifth in his heat in 3.37.57 - his year's fastest. He stayed at the back of the field for most of the semifinal but was impeded by Spain's Isaac Viciosa just before the bell, and when El Guerrouj took off Bruton quickly drifted, struggling home 11th, nine seconds behind the winner.

Inexplicably, Shane hit the front on the penultimate lap of his heat. He was left behind when the pace quickened at the bell and trailed in 11th and last in 3.50.54,14 seconds behind the winner, El Guerrouj.

David led his heat for most of the way, was passed by Patrick Konchellah in the closing 80m, but comfortably retained second and crossed the line in 1.47.33. In the second round he was ideally placed, second, on the final bend but got swallowed up in the straight and finished eighth in 1.46.66 in what was the fastest of the second-round races. When I put my foot down there was nothing there,' was David's rueful summing up.

Mark cleared 2.23, just two centimetres short of his Irish record, but failed in two attempts at 2.24 and one at 2.26 and bowed out in the qualifying round.

Susan Smith (400m Hurdles): In her heat, Susan had the third-best reaction time of the 27 competitors, powering away from a field that included the former world champion Kim Batten. The latter caught her in the closing 25m but Smith still smashed her own Irish record with a scintillating 54.61. Susan made another great start to the semifinal and was credited with fourth but given the same time, 54.72, as the third placer. The order didn't matter - she had become only the second lrishwoman to reach a sprint final at a major championships. In the final she again began well and disputed the lead at 150m but started to drift on the final bend and weakened on the run-in to finish seventh (55.25). I went for a medal today. I went out really, really hard. I had nothing to lose. I just didn't have the strength over the last 30 yards. But I'm really pleased,' was her justifiably proud verdict.

Susan Smith qualified for the Final of the 400m hurdles in Athens.

The man for the big occasion. Last year in Atlanta he set an Irish record 20.89. He did it again it Athens, posting 20.69 in the heats. But he failed to reproduce that form in the next round, fading to eighth and last in 20.83.

Valerie stayed with the leaders until halfway but then suffered in the humid heat and finished 14th in 15.57.58.

Drawn in the same semifinal as Sonia O'Sullivan, Una became detached from the main group and trailed in 13th in 16.07.09.

Mark's form deserted him. Unable to stay with the semifinal pace set by Daniel Komen, he finished 14th in 13.57.88, 43 seconds outside the season's best he had run a couple of weeks earlier.

They set an Irish record 39.46 when posting seventh in their heat. They were later promoted to sixth but still missed a place in the next round.