A remarkable opening day for Ireland at the European Indoor Athletics Championships was narrowly denied a golden finish when Derval O’Rourke was edged out into fourth in the final of the women’s 60 metres hurdles.

A hugely positive opening morning session for Irish athletes at the European Indoor Championships in Gothenburg has seen Brian Gregan and Ciarán Ó Lionaird win their heats, with Derval O’Rourke progressing through also to tonight’s sprint hurdles semi-finals.

Ciara Everard turned mishap into magic at the Athlone Institute of Technology indoor arena yesterday as she sped to a new national indoor 800m record of 2:02.54 and a European Indoor qualifying time (2:03.5) in a incredible weekend for Irish athletics.

Athlone IT’s indoor track can make Irish athletics stand out from the crowd, writes Feidhlim Kelly

The Aviva All-Ireland schools championships could produce one of the most exciting 800m races in the history of the event at Tullamore today.

CATHERINE WAYLAND was the toast of the Irish team at the Paralympic Athletics World Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand after taking a silver medal in the club throw in the F51 category.

PATRICK MAHER (Davis College, Mallow), who has the national junior 400m hurdles record and qualification for the world junior championships under his belt, will bid for a double in the 400m hurdles and 400m flat at the Munster Schools Championships at the CIT Track in Bishopstown on Saturday.

PATRICK MAHER (Davis College, Mallow) will compete in both the 400m and 400m Hurdles at the Munster schools championships in a week’s time after a one lap cruise at the second session of the South Munsters at the CIT Track in Bishopstown yesterday.

PATSY McGONAGLE will lead the Irish track and field team into the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

IRISH sporting organisations are cautiously optimistic regarding their fixtures for the next week as the cold snap begins to ease.

IRISH 4x400m relay teams begin their quests for Olympic qualification next month.

SONIA O’SULLIVAN will present the awards when the Irish Milers Club stages 1,500m races for men and women in conjunction with the Kit Kat Irish Schools Track and Field Championships in Tullamore tomorrow.

KERRY sprinter Jer O’Donoghue got the new year off to a stylish start at the Nenagh Arena yesterday when he retained his Munster AAI 60m title in 6.93 secs.

HAYLEY YELLING, the European cross-country champion, will join Sonia O’Sullivan for the women’s 3,000m at the BUPA Cork City Sports on July 2 at The Mardyke.

Four Olympians lead a strong Irish team for this Saturday's indoor international match between Ireland, England and Wales in Cardiff.

DERVAL O’ROURKE ended an injury nightmare on Saturday with qualification for the European Indoor Championships in Madrid in March.

Brendan Mooney

ANNE LOUGHNANE (St. Raphael’s, Loughrea), set a new national junior and senior schools record in the 3,000m walk at the Kit Kat Irish Schools Championships at Tullamore on Saturday when the girls set three records.

JER O’DONOGHUE (Leevale) once again highlighted his liking for the Nenagh Indoor Arena with another sparkling performance in the 60m at the Munster indoor championships yesterday, clipping six hundredths of a second off the time he ran at the AAI Games a week earlier.