Here’s a prediction: the next great Irish athlete, the one we take a hiatus from work to watch challenge for an Olympic medal, will not be a distance runner.

Amy Foster has equalled the Irish indoor 60m record to qualify for March’s World Indoor Athletics Championships in Birmingham, writes Will Downing.

Less than two weeks out from the World Championships in London, this was always going to be a fact-finding mission for Ciara Mageean, Mark English, Brian Gregan, and Thomas Barr, and though each of them faced a test of differing degrees of difficulty, they all passed with flying colours.

Ireland lie seventh after the middle day of the European Athletics Team Championships in the northern Finnish city of Vaasa, with Brian Gregan scoring the only Irish victory of day two, alongside eleven top-six finishes.

Jason Smyth (28), a visually impaired sprinter from Derry, is officially the ‘fastest Paralympian on the planet.’ He will be writing a monthly blog in the build-up to the 2016 Paralympic Games.

Thomas Barr came out strongly in support of Irish teammate Fionnuala McCormack at the European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam last night, calling on athletics authorities to heed the advice of the Wicklow runner.

It may have taken seven years, but Olive Loughnane can finally call herself a world champion, and what’s more, she now has the medal to prove it.

For Olympic hopefuls, Mark English and Thomas Barr, the last few months had been nothing short of a nightmare, but the two great hopes for Irish athletics are now daring to dream once again.

Rob Heffernan walked away from the Morton Stadium frustrated as he saw a mid-afternoon red card in the men’s 10,000 metres walk.

Ireland are well positioned in fifth place after the opening day of the European Athletics Team Championships (1st League) in Heraklion, Greece, as they bid for promotion to the Super League for 2016.

Two new national records were set by Irish relay teams on the penultimate day of the European Athletics Championships in Zurich.

It was a case of relief with Mark English qualifying for the final of the men’s 800m as a fastest loser in 1:46.23 at the Letzigrund Stadium last night while Thomas Barr unfortunately couldn’t replicate that in the 400m hurdles.

Mark English put to bed a glum night for Ireland at the European Athletics Championships in Zurich, by qualifying for Friday ngiht’s final of the men’s 800 metres – but it was a close-run thing.

A morning of rain contributed to possibly the most eventful race of Christine McMahon’s career.

Mark English put in a classy performance to win heat two of the men’s 800m in 1:47.38 on a positive day for the Irish athletes at the European Track and Field Championships in Zurich.

Thomas Barr comfortably cruised into Wednesday’s semi-finals of the 400 metres hurdles on the opening morning of the European Athletics Championships in Zurich.

Thomas Barr comfortably cruised into today’s semi-finals of the 400 metres hurdles on the opening morning of the European Athletics Championships in Zurich.

It's been a mixed day so far for the Irish at the European Championships in Zurich.

Sonia O’Sullivan believes Ireland’s athletes must grasp the opportunity to make their mark on the senior international stage at the European Track and Field Championships starting in Zurich this morning.

Phil Healy is an athlete in a hurry.

Athletics Ireland high performance manager Kevin Ankrom is hanging his hopes on Robert Heffernan winning a medal in the 50km race walk at the European Championships in Zurich.

Rob Heffernan will lead an Irish team of 25 athlete’s to Zurich for next months Europeans, which take place from August 12 – 17.

Ciaran O’Lionard shot to victory at today’s Glo Health national senior track and field championships taking 1500-metre gold and a European championship slot.

Mark English has recovered from a respiratory tract infection and is looking forward to leading a small Irish team of to the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland next week (March 7-9).

Mark English leads a small Irish team to next month's IAAF World Indoor championships in Sopot, Poland.

Marcus Lawler and Kelly Proper saved the best until last at the Woodie’s DIY National Senior Indoor Championships in Athlone when they powered around their respective 200m races in record-breaking fashion while Amy Foster snaffled a world indoor qualifying time in the 60m, pipping Phil Healy in the process.

Amy Foster and Kelly Proper were the stand out performers at today’s Woodies DIY National Indoor Championships in Athlone IT.

Marcus Lawler and Phil Healy have continued their rapid ascent since being a class apart at the All-Ireland Schools Track and Field Championships last summer and the two sprinters are set to star at the Woodie’s DIY Senior Indoor Championships in Athlone this weekend.

Sarah Lavin’s stock continued to rise yesterday at the British Athletics Indoor championships in Sheffield with a bronze medal over the 60m hurdles in 8.25 moving her to second on the Irish all-time record list.

UCD’s Mark English underlined his world-class potential at the Woodie’s DIY AAI Games in Athlone yesterday with a national 800m indoor record (1:46.82) which qualifies him for the world indoors.

American sprinter Cleo VanBuren is determined to write her name into the history books by becoming the first lady to break 11 seconds on Irish soil.

Derval O'Rourke and Fionnuala Britton will lead a weakened Irish team in the European Team championship next week.

“I’m not finishing fourth,” was Fionnuala Britton’s mantra in the last three laps of the 3,000m final as the teak tough Wicklow woman won a fighting bronze medal yesterday.

Ciarán Ó Lionáird became Ireland’s latest medallist at a major athletics championships, as Brian Gregan’s hopes for glory bit the dust in devastating fashion.

Fionnuala Britton and Amy Foster kept up the impressive run of Irish performances at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Gothenburg, with both making it through to the final day.

A strong team of 11 has named to represent Ireland at the European Indoor Athletics Championships, which get underway in Gothenburg on Friday.

Brian Gregan feels ready for any challenge at the European Indoor Track and Field Championships in his bid to win his first senior international 400m medal in Gothenburg on March 1-3 as part of a strong Irish team.

An Irish team of eight, headed by double European Cross-Country Champion Fionnuala Britton and Europe’s fastest man over 400m this year so far, Brian Gregan, have been pre-selected for next week’s European Indoor Athletics Championships in Gothenburg.

Robert Heffernan put on a masterclass of race walking to win his 15th national title but felt the atmosphere ‘dead’ on day one of the Woodie’s DIY National Indoor Championships in Athlone on Saturday.

A blanket finish to last night’s Morton Mile in Santry saw 10 runners break four minutes as American runner Will Leer led the field home in 3:56.39 from David Torrence, (USA) in 3:56.40 and Ryan Gregson, (Australia) in 3:56.45. Ireland’s Ciarán Ó Lionaird, (Leevale A.C), finished sixth in 3:56.02.

The Woodie’s DIY National Championships take place at the Morton Stadium, Santry this weekend.

A groin injury ruined Brian Gregan’s hopes of a medal at the European Athletics Championships, with a brave performance seeing him struggle over the line after being in the top three throughout the 400m final in Helsinki.

Paul Hession has breezed through to the semi-finals of the men’s 200 metres at the European Athletics Championships in Helsinki, but for Steven Colvert there was the frustration of becoming the latest athlete to fall foul of the Olympic Stadium’s infamous tight lanes.