Irish athletes are starting to add their voices to the calls for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to postpone this summer's Games in Tokyo.

"In Spain, we would have been clocking up to 180kms a week. I’ll just do that mileage here in Cork now."

Sligo’s Michael Morgan marked himself out as a future star by taking his third consecutive title at the Irish Life Health All-Ireland Schools Cross Country in Santry on Saturday.

Sport Ireland has dedicated over €10m in high-performance funding to this year’s Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, its highest ever support at this level.

Our favourite celebrities on the moments that made 2019 for them

It was both a look back and a glance forward — an appreciation of a past great and the heralding of her successor. And through all of yesterday’s National Athletics Awards in Santry, there was an excited sense of expectancy with an Olympic year starting to loom on the horizon.

Turns out the old adage is true.

It was a lifetime of work, packed into four ferocious hours, and at the end of it Brendan Boyce had his just reward. Sixth in the world in the 50km race walk, an event that seems to encapsulate his very existence.

With temperatures only ever hitting a low of 29.5C during the four-hour slog, the Donegal walker was never lower than 19th as a field of 46 produced 28 finishers – 14 of whom were forced to drop out during the longest event in the programme.

There’s never been a World Championships quite like these, and the jury is out on whether that’s a good thing. From the captivating energy of Beijing 2015 to the thronged stands of London 2017, we find ourselves here, in Doha, Qatar, wondering just what the sport and its athletes have done to deserve this.

Ireland’s fastest woman lived up to her billing with a brilliant performance at the Irish Universities Athletics Championships in Athlone on Saturday.

Ciara Mageean will go to next week’s European Indoor Championships in Glasgow as a strong medal contender in the 1500m after a highly impressive victory at the national indoor arena on Saturday, the 26-year-old coasting to the Irish 3000m title in 9:02.57.

Brendan Boyce went through the pain barrier to finish 19th in the men’s 50k walk at the European Athletics Championships in Berlin – having been in a medal position at halfway – as Ireland’s three track representatives bowed out back at the Olympic Stadium.

No way of dressing it up, it’s been a poor championships so far for the Irish, meaning tomorrow’s race walks again represent the one remaining chance at a storybook ending.

For many months now, Irish athletes have been striking the same chord when talking about the IAAF World Championships, which get under way in London tomorrow evening.

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.

A runner always thinks they can do better when they run a personal best but there wasn’t much more Sean Hehir could do after his breakthrough performance at the London Marathon last Sunday.

Fionnuala McCormack believes a failed drugs test for Kenya’s Olympic marathon champion Jemimah Sumgong shows the IAAF’s policies are working.

After the heroics of Ireland's race walkers - Rob Heffernan, Alex Wright and Brendan Boyce - yesterday, it's the turn of Ireland's competitors in the golf, triathlon and modern pentathlon today.

Sixth — for many it’s a nothing position, not quite close enough to be considered unlucky, though not so far away that a medal was out of sight.

Rob Heffernan has been restored to sixth place after an eventful Men's 50K walk in Rio.

It’s his final shot, and he knows it. Rob Heffernan may have an Olympic bronze medal to his name — at least that’s what the record books say — but he has yet to lay his hands on it.

Day Seven of the Olympic Games produced even more history from an Irish point of view, with the medals table reached finally at the end of the opening week.

Phil Healy’s epic relay leg for UCC last month may have entered athletics folklore, but her first official attempt at the 400m left no one in doubt of her future potential over the one-lap distance.

China won their first gold medal of their home World Athletics Championships by sweeping a 1-2 finish in the women’s 20k walk in Beijing.

‘I feel good, my training’s gone well, I’m in a good place mentally and physically’

Robert Heffernan believes he is in with a “fighting chance” of defending his World 50km Race Walk title when he toes the line at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing next week.

Thomas Barr is targeting a final berth in the 400m hurdles at his maiden World Athletics Championships in Beijing at the end of this month.

The Irish Sports Council has committed over €1.5m in funding for the International Carding Scheme for 2015. The money will be invested in 75 athletes across 14 sports.

There was double joy for Robert Heffernan (Togher AC) at the 50km race walk in Dudince, Slovakia on Saturday where he finished fourth in 3:48:44 to qualify for the World Championships in Beijing this summer and a record fifth Olympic Games.

World champion Robert Heffernan returns to competitive action at the IAAF Race Walking Challenge in Dudince today. 

Kelly Proper bagged long-jump gold and her 17th national indoor title at day one of the Glo Health National Indoor Championships.

Mark English is Ireland’s latest sporting hero, winning bronze in the men’s 800m at the European Athletics Championships in Zurich.

World champion Rob Heffernan succumbed with 10 kilometres remaining of the men’s 50k walk at the European Athletics Championships in Zurich this morning.

World Champion Rob Heffernan is out of 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.

Robert Heffernan was placed 23rd (1:21:00) over 20km at the IAAF World Race Walking Cup in Taicang, China yesterday.

Thirty-six years old and in the form of his life, Rob Heffernan has very few complaints at present.

Kelly Proper joined Rob Heffernan as Ireland's most decorated indoor champion at today’s Woodies DIY national indoor championships.

Derval O’Rourke and Ciarán Ó Lionáird have expressed disappointment at the level of funding they are set to receive in 2014.

If anyone is looking to send a letter of congratulations to Rob Heffernan, it seems you don’t even need his address — just pop “Gold Medal Winner” on the envelope and An Post will get it to him.