DERVAL O’ROURKE will commence building on the phenomenal year that was 2009 when she travels to Portugal for warm weather training tomorrow – she already had a session in Cork over the festive season when she sneaked into the CIT track in Bishopstown.

THE awesome presence of Olympic 400m champion, Christine Ohuruogu, will add an air of excitement to this weekend’s Woodies DIY Irish Indoor Championships at The Odyssey in Belfast, where she will begin the build-up to the defence of her world title in Berlin next August.

ROBERT HEFFERNAN faces his first big test of Olympic year when he lines up for the first leg of the IAAF Race Walking Challenge in Chihuahua, northern Mexico, on Saturday.

DERVAL O’ROURKE is ready for another big run in Leipzig on Sunday after her promising performance in Athens on Wednesday night when she finished fourth in the 60m hurdles in 8.09 secs.

PETER COGHLAN is hoping to take his return to top class athletics to another level tonight in Gothenburg where he will line up for the 60m hurdles against a string of international athletes.

WORLD indoor 60m hurdles champion Derval O’Rourke, who did not compete last year, will be surrounded by familiar faces when she bids to reclaim her national 60m hurdles title at this month’s Woodies DIY Irish Indoor Championships at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast.