Tirunesh Dibaba battled back from the brink of defeat to retain her World Championships 10,000 metres title in Osaka on Saturday night.

IRELAND’s Paul McKee must launch his European Championship campaign from lane nine when the first-round heats of the 400 metres get under way today.

ALISTAIR CRAGG took another big step towards European gold this summer with a personal best in a historic 5,000 metres in New York.

SONIA O’SULLIVAN brought down the curtain on her Olympic odyssey in the heat of Athens last night when she was lapped by seven runners.

SONIA O’SULLIVAN will be back in old, familiar surroundings when she lines up for the final of the women’s 5,000m at the Olympic Stadium in Athens tonight.

SONIA O’SULLIVAN is safely through to Monday night’s final of the women’s 5,000m with a chance of adding another medal to the silver she won in Sydney four years ago.

SONIA O’SULLIVAN has drawn the easier of tonight’s two 5,000m Olympic semi-finals, but the Sydney silver medallist must run her best race of the year to get through to Monday night’s final.

SONIA O’SULLIVAN has been drawn in the same heat as the new world record holder, Elvan Abeylegesse of Turkey, for tomorrow night’s second heat of the women’s 5,000m with the first five in each of the two first round heats to qualify along with the five fastest losers.

SONIA O’SULLIVAN arrives here tomorrow full of confidence and ready to produce her best performances of the year, according to partner Nic Bideau yesterday.

Paula Radcliffe claimed her a second Spar European Cross Country title after a determined challenge from Elvan Abeylegesse.

SONIA O’SULLIVAN leads Ireland’s European cross-country medal hopes tomorrow, pledging: “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I had a chance of winning.”

SONIA O’SULLIVAN is prepared to run faster than ever in her quest for a medal at the world championships in Paris today.

Ireland's former 5000m world champion Sonia O'Sullivan comfortably qualified for Saturday's final in a season's best time of 14 minutes 55.50secs.