Writing in The Irish Times, O'Sullivan, now based in Australia, was responding to the latest allegations about doping made by former Chinese team doctor Xue Yinxian on the German broadcaster ARD.

Xue sensationally alleged that all medals won by athletes from the country in the 1980s and 1990s were achieved through a systematic doping programme existing across all sports.

"To me it sounded no different to the story earlier last year and the revelations of doping in a letter signed by the group of Chinese athletes that I raced against in 1993," 47-year-old O'Sullivan, the Olympic 5,000 metres silver medallist at Sydney 2000, said.

"To me it's not about the medals anymore, but the satisfaction of knowing that I ran the best I could on the day. 

"And that, in my mind, I was the best in the world over 3,000m and 1500m at those Stuttgart World Championships in 1993, that those in front of me were aided by illegal means, and as a result should be disqualified."

O'Sullivan won silver in the 1500m in Stuttgart behind China's Liu Dong, and failed to win in the 3,000m after her hopes were dashed by the performances of three Chinese athletes, none of whom have been convicted of doping.

The winner Qu Yunxia finished in a Championship record time with team-mates Zhang Linli and Zhang Lirong in second and third respectively.

"There was actually no elation watching that Chinese doctor give her interview to German TV, just contentment to see some of the relief on her face, acknowledging the wrong that had been done and was silenced all this time, free now to tell her story and not feel bound by others, even so late in life," O'Sullivan, who won the world 5,000m title in Gothenburg in 1995, added.

"At the same time the governors of sport have a lot to answer for and need to start lifting up that rug and clean out everything that's been swept underneath.

"I never thought there was any way other than hard work, miles and miles of running, hours in the gym. 

"The hardest part was actually when not running, recovering from injury. 

"No short cuts there either, just time to heal.

"I believe it's more important than ever now to empower athletes so that they can make their own decisions, take advice and discuss the options with a coach. 

"Ability, hard work and belief can still match most that try to cut the corners."

Xue told ARD that "medals were tainted by doping - gold, silver and bronze".

"All international medals [won by Chinese athletes in that time] should be taken back," she said.

"There must have been more than 10,000 people involved."

Last year, O'Sullivan spoke on Irish channel RTÉ during the Games in Rio de Janeiro, at which she was a commentator. 

She questioned the world 10,000m record of Ethiopia's Almaz Ayana at those Games.

Ayana ran 29min 17.45sec, 14 seconds faster than the world record set by China's Wang Junxia in 1993, a mark many believed would never be broken.

Wang won the 10,000m in Stuttgart and later set a world record for the 3,000m. 

She then largely disappeared from international competition before re-emerging in time to win the Olympic gold medal in the 5,000m at Atlanta 1996, a race O'Sullivan failed to finish.

Wang retired after Atlanta but doubts have always surrounded her performance. 

Earlier this year, a letter in which Wang allegedly admitted to participating in a Chinese-state-sponsored doping regime was revealed by Chinese state media.