Performances at major championships

1994 European Championships 3000 m GOLD

1995 World Championships 5000 m GOLD

1996 Olympic Games 5000 m DNF in Final, 1500 m Heats

Her crowning achievement was a Gold medal at the 1995 World Athletics Championships.

She won a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics, narrowly beaten by the Romanian Gabriela Szabo and in front of third placed Ethiopian Gete Wami.

She has won three European Championship Gold Medals and two World Cross-Country Championship Gold Medals.

She has achieved virtually everything there is to be achieved in distance running except an Olympic Gold Medal.

On February 14, 2007, the multi-medallist has said that she plans to hang up her spikes after the Great Ireland Run on April 15.

Sonia later dismissed the rumours that she is retiring after the BUPA Great Ireland Run, adding that she will be retiring at the end of the season this year.