DERVAL O’ROURKE will commence building on the phenomenal year that was 2009 when she travels to Portugal for warm weather training tomorrow – she already had a session in Cork over the festive season when she sneaked into the CIT track in Bishopstown.

ON a night that saw Yelena Isinbayeva bounce back from the disaster of the world championships to set a new world record in the pole vault, Ireland’s David Gillick improved on his Berlin placing to finish fourth in the men’s 400m and Derval O’Rourke finished seventh in the 100m hurdles at the Golden League meeting in Zurich.

AFTER their Berlin adventures, David Gillick and Derval O’Rourke make a quick return to big-time athletics at the Weltklasse in Zurich, the penultimate Golden League meet, tonight.

DERVAL O’ROURKE brought the curtain own on another incredible day for Irish athletes at the world championships in Berlin when she finished fourth in the final of the 100m hurdles and set a new national record at 12.67 seconds.

Ireland's Derval O'Rourke lowered her national record to 12.67 seconds as she finished a magnificent fourth in tonight's 100 metres hurdles final at the World Championships in Berlin.

Derval O’Rourke put in a great performance this evening to make the final of the 100m Hurdles event at the World Championships in Berlin.

PAUL HESSION and Derval O’Rourke delivered the perfect ending to an exciting day for Irish athletics at the world championships in Berlin when they both qualified for today’s semi-finals of their respective events.

Paul Hession has completed a very encouraging day for Ireland at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin, qualifying for tomorrow evening's 200 metres semi-finals.

ROISÍN McGETTIGAN earned a deserved and timely boost in advance of the Olympic Games when she won the women’s steeplechase at the first session of the VIVA British Grand Prix at Crystal Palace last night.

DERVAL O’ROURKE put the perfect finishing touch to her preparations for the world championships with her fastest time of the season when she was second to the Dawn Harper of the USA in 12.88 secs in the 100m hurdles final at yesterday’s international track and field meeting in Wattinsheid.

DERVAL O’ROURKE went under 13 seconds twice last night as she fine tuned her preparations for the world championships in Leverkusen.