MARK CHRISTIE qualified for both the European under-23 championships and the world student games with a career best performance in the 1,500m at the Solihull meet over the weekend and now the Mullingar athlete can’t wait for the BUPA Cork City Sports on Saturday.

ROBERT HEFFERNAN posted the second fastest time of his career for the 20k walk at the Grand Prix of Race Walking in La Coruna yesterday when he finished fifth in 1:20:55 to highlight his return to form in advance of the Olympics.

GARETH TURNBULL has achieved his ambition of posting the B standard for the world championships.

ANNE LOUGHNANE (St. Raphael’s, Loughrea), set a new national junior and senior schools record in the 3,000m walk at the Kit Kat Irish Schools Championships at Tullamore on Saturday when the girls set three records.

ERIN KINNEAR (Victoria College) could emerge as the brightest star in the galaxy at the Kit Kat Irish Schools Track and Field Championships in Tullamore on Saturday (9 am) when the best and the brightest face each other in what promises to be an action- packed day.