Cillian O’Leary claimed a famous comeback victory in the Irish Examiner Cork City Marathon in 2:30:41 yesterday, as Nollaigh O’Neill-Hunter triumphed convincingly in the women’s race in 2:57:45 in wet and wild conditions.

A fifth victory in a row by Sergiu Ciobanu of Clonliffe Harriers in the men’s race in and a course record winning time of 54:20 by Maria McCambridge of Dundrum South Dublin Athletic Club were the highlight performances at yesterday’s annual Ballycotton 10 mile in East Cork — the 38th running of this Irish road classic.

Premier League footballer Mario Balotelli was once again the victim of racial abuse on social media over the weekend.

By Will Downing

Manager Neil Lennon insists there is no chance of Celtic underestimating the threat of AC Milan tonight as his side prepare to face their biggest game of the season.

Having wiggled and waggled his way to winning a world championship, the country’s latest antidote to austerity blues arrived home last night to the kind of welcome only a hero deserves.

Ezequiel Schelotto’s second-half equaliser salvaged a point for Inter last night in the Milan derby as AC had to settle for a 1-1 draw.

Massimiliano Allegri was eager to extract the positives after his AC Milan side’s stuttering start to the season continued in their Champions League opener last night.

Ireland’s Olympic selectors have been given a marathon headache, as a fourth athlete has made the qualifying mark for the women’s marathon at London 2012.

The Irish Olympic team has a new member with Maria McCambridge securing qualification for the London Games at the Rome Marathon yesterday.

Maria McCambridge has become the 15th athlete to qualify for the Irish Track and Field team for this year’s Olympic Games in London.

Sergiu Ciobanu (Clonliffe Harriers) yesterday retained his Ballycotton 10 mile road race title with a powerful display in East Cork.

FIONNUALA BRITTON beat a quality field to notch up another victory in Saturday’s IAAF Grand Challenge Cross Country International over a rain sodden course in Greenmount, Antrim.

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini remains convinced it would be a travesty of justice if Vincent Kompany failed to win his appeal against the red card he received in Sunday’s FA Cup defeat to Manchester United.

EUROPE’S top cross-country runner, Fionnuala Britton will be one of the favourites for the gold medal when she leads the Irish women’s team into next month’s European cross-country championships in Slovenia.

JOANNE CUDDIHY was in distinguished company at the world championships in Daegu yesterday when she false-started in her semi-final of the women’s 400m less than an hour before reigning Olympic and world champion, Usain Bolt, made a similar exit from the men’s 100m final.

HE let her catch her breath before popping the question and taking it away again.

Moldovian Sergiu Ciobanu has won the 2011 Bord Gáis Energy Cork City Marathon in a record time of 2:25:34, beating the official record he set last year for the marathon by 20 seconds.

Patrick Vieira has admitted he has no idea whether he will be around to revel in Manchester City’s achievements this season.

The 2011 Woodie's DIY Irish Indoor Championships got underway at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast today. The highlight was the women's 3,000 metres walk which was won by Laura Reynolds from Mohill AC.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic plans to retire once his contract with AC Milan ends in June 2014.

The big freeze gripping the country will get worse this week with snow spreading inland and some temperatures plunging as low as minus 20C, forecasters warned.

The marriage of Cheryl and Ashley Cole ended in divorce today after four years in the public eye.

'X Factor' judge Cheryl Cole is due to divorce her estranged footballer husband Ashley Cole today.

Ryan Giggs is ready to ease his injury frustration by trying to help secure a 12th Premier League title for Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

THIS was the anti-pasti for Carlo Ancelotti ahead of the main course in Milan on Wednesday night.

IN LIGHT of our relatively poor recent form and the ridiculous rash of injuries, I reckon that much like myself, most Gooners will be pleasantly surprised to be sitting down to our turkey with only a two-point deficit on Man Utd and six behind the league leaders, with a game in hand on both.

GARDA Commissioner Fachtna Murphy has rejected suggestions that the force was not up to pursuing clerical child sex abuses cases.

A RETIRED Garda boss has called for prosecutions to be taken against gardaí who covered up clerical child sex abuse documented in the Murphy Report.

OLIVE LOUGHNANE, silver medallist in the 20k walk at the world championships in Berlin, was named Ireland’s ‘Athlete of the Year’ at an awards ceremony in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry, on Saturday night.

MARK HANRAHAN (Leevale) will be targeting a place on the Irish team for the SPAR European cross-country championships when he lines up in defence of his Cork senior crown at Clonakilty Showgrounds on Sunday.

GARDA Commissioner Fachtna Murphy has announced a series of appointments at senior Garda management level.

FERRYBANK’s Ann O’Shea was in record-breaking form at the Woodie’s DIY Juvenile Indoor championships in Nenagh at the weekend.

John O’Shea and Jonny Evans climbed aboard Manchester United’s flight to Milan this morning with manager Alex Ferguson desperately hoping one of them is fit to face Inter in the Champions League tomorrow.

Blackburn manager Paul Ince is backing David Beckham be a success in Italy if he joins AC Milan on loan.

MANCHESTER CITY target Ronaldinho has confirmed he “always wanted Milan” after moving to the brink of a transfer to the San Siro.

Giovanni Trapattoni will send his Ireland side out for the first time tomorrow night intent of extending his honeymoon start.

The Irish team are in a positive mood despite two withdrawals ahead of this weekend's World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh.

Inter Milan 0 Liverpool 1 (Agg: 0-3)

A FAN whose pitch invasion marred Celtic’s Champions League victory over European champions AC Milan yesterday admitted a breach of the peace.

STEVEN GERRARD has revealed the hunger that is propelling him towards more European glory.