Back, knee and calf muscle. It is hard to believe that 400 metres starlet Joanne Cuddihy is on the cusp of her Olympic debut, after a summer full of injury frustration.

There is real concern in the Irish athletics camp over Eileen O'Keeffe's knee injury - the Kilkenny hammer thrower admitted today that she faces 'a battle for time' to be fit for her first Olympics.

It has emerged that Alistair Cragg's withdrawal from the 3000m at Tuesday night's Grand Prix meeting in Monaco was not down to illness - the Irish middle distance star dropped out due to an Achilles injury.

Derval O'Rourke's final preparations for next month's Olympics in Beijing have been hampered by a groin injury, which forced her out of yesterday's 100 metres hurdles at the Aviva London Grand Prix.

Current world champion Betty Heidler posted a winning throw of 72.43 metres in a class-laden hammer event at Friday night's Morton Memorial meeting in Santry.

A knee injury has robbed Irish hammer champion Eileen O'Keeffe of the chance to compete in the strongest ever throwing event held in Ireland.

Three further athletes - 400 metres hurdler Michelle Carey, marathon runner Pauline Curley and 800 metres specialist Thomas Chamney - have today been added to the Irish Olympic team for next month's Games in Beijing.

The hunt for World championship glory is not something which fazes Derval O'Rourke and the Cork native has her feet firmly on the ground as she makes last minute preparations for the competition in Osaka, Japan.

Kilkenny hammer thrower Eileen O'Keeffe broke her own Irish record twice to claim her seventh straight title at the Woodie's DIY National Senior Track and Field Championship in Santry this afternoon.

There has been disappointment for Irish hammer thrower Eileen O'Keeffe at the Spar European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg.

Derval O'Rourke, Alistair Cragg and David Gillick are top of the pile in the 29-strong team chosen to represent Ireland at next month's European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg.

Kilkenny woman Joanne Cuddihy looks set to double up with both the 200 metres and 400 metres titles at the Woodies DIY National Track and Field Championships this weekend.

Ireland's Eileen O'Keeffe has failed to qualify for the final of the women's hammer at the World Athletics Championships in Helsinki.

DAVID GILLICK, the European indoor 400m champion, has been named on the Irish team for the world championships in Helsinki the weekend after next.

Kilkenny City Harrier Eileen O'Keeffe threw a new national record of 68.14 metres to claim hammer gold at the Woodies DIY Irish Track and Field Championships in Santry today.

DERVAL O’ROURKE set another new national under-23 record and continued progress towards world championship and Olympic qualification standard when she finished third in the 100m hurdles in 13.19 seconds at the European Cup match in Finland yesterday.

HOPES of an Irish finalist in either the men’s or women’s 400m were dashed last night when Paul McKee and Karen Shinkins went out in their respective semi-finals.

WORLD 5,000m record-holder Gillian O’Sullivan is hoping to extend her wonderful spell of form to 20km in the women’s final at the European championships in Munich.