Last week the World Junior Athletics Championships took place in Oregon’s Hayward Field.

For the recent visit of the All Blacks to the Aviva Stadium, I was on a radio panel with Irish legend David Wallace and Kiwi and Ulster player Nick Williams.

Mark English and Paul Robinson start a new era for Irish middle-distance running this morning in the heats of the 800m on the opening day of the World Track and Field Championships in Moscow.

Profits at the firm operated by Irish sports agent Ricky Simms raced ahead quicker than ‘Bolt-lightning’ last year.

Athletics Ireland publicly rolled out their High Performance plan for the next Olympic cycle at the Gresham Hotel yesterday with the vision of “more Irish athletes winning on the world stage” and a target of 24 medals being won at major championships between 2013 and 2016.

Joanna Mills may defect to the Great Britain squad in protest at her exclusion from the Irish athletics team for the Olympics.

Joanna Mills has questioned Athletics Ireland's plans for the sport in Ireland after it was confirmed that she had lost her place in the Irish Women's 4 x 400m relay team for the Olympics.

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

Colin Griffin has boosted the Irish track and field team for the Olympic Games to 18 after sailing past the Olympic A standard to qualify for the 50k race walking at London 2012.

HAD the Dublin footballers won last year’s All-Ireland title then virtually every county squad in the country would have been training this morning at 6.30am.

CIARA MAGEEAN will maintain her amazing momentum when she embarks on a busy indoor schedule that includes the Woodies DIY Irish senior championships at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast on February 19-29.

WITH the majority of the Irish athletes due to fly into Barcelona today, Paul Hession has opted to remain at the training camp in Murcia until Monday, the day before the European Championships get under way.

Hurdling star Derval O'Rourke warmed up for her Barcelona bid by securing her eighth national title in the 100m hurdles on the final day of the Woodie's DIY National Senior Track & Field Championships in Santry.

CASTER SEMENYA has spoken of her delight at being able to return to the track after the International Association of Athletics Federations gave her the all-clear to resume her career.

South African athlete Caster Semenya can return to competition with immediate effect, the IAAF have confirmed.

EDDIE HYLAND, after his points win over Oisín Fagan in a thrilling Irish title fight earlier this year, returns to an old haunt when he tops the bill on the “Best of the Irish” show at the National Stadium, tonight.

Galway’s Paul Hession was named Athlete of the Year at tonight’s National Athletics Awards in Dublin.

The men’s 4 x 400m relay team set a new record in their heats at the World Junior Championships in Poland today.

THE IRISH have always held a special place in their hearts for their international athletes, and Niamh Whelan is a name that could resonate for years to come.

Jo Pavey endured a few difficult moments before winning yesterday’s SPAR European Cross Country trial in Liverpool.

IRELAND’S new world champion Derval O’Rourke, fresh from her record run in Lausanne last week, and both European indoor champions, Alistair Cragg and David Gillick, will have a rare opportunity to parade their talents before the home fans when they line up for the Woodies DIY National Track & Field Championships at Morton Stadium over the weekend.

ALISTAIR CRAGG — who made a late switch from the 3,000m to 1,500m at Saturday’s BUPA Ireland Cork City Sports — had to be content with third place, behind the Kenyan pair of Laban Rotich and Paul Korrir.

Jolene Byrne has taken her first Women's title at today's National Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships.

SHE doesn’t have a coach, she doesn’t even have a proper place to train, but Eileen O’Keeffe will enter the circle at these world championships today alongside some of the best hammer throwers in the world with a big chance of making the final.

THE 11 newly-crowned national senior boxing champions compete at the Four Nations Championships in Liverpool this week.

Sprinter Mark Lewis-Francis insists he will not be jumping the gun by looking further than his next race when he competes in the 100 metres in the Olympics next month.

LEGENDARY boxing coach Emmanuel Steward has expressed an interest in training Limerick fighter Andy Lee.

ANDY LEE (St. Francis, Limerick) claimed his first National Senior Championship title by doing what had to be done at the National Stadium last night when he out-pointed Eamon O’Kane (St. Canices) 27-12 in the eagerly awaited Middleweight final.

The Irish selectors have taken a leap of faith by including Mark Carroll in the final team for next month’s European Athletics Championships in Munich.

JOANNE CUDDIHY (Kilkenny) finished 6th in her 400m final at the World Junior Athletics Championships in Kingston, Jamaica but with a personal best 53.36s on the clock. Monique Henderson (USA) won in 51.10s.