An inspired performance by Sligo’s Chris O’Donnell helped Ireland maintain their place in the First League of the European Team Championships in Sandnes, Norway over the weekend.

A key test, passed with flying colours. For a golden generation of young athletes, Saturday’s National Junior and U-23 Championships proved a low-key but high-intensity examination of their fitness as they prepare to take their talents to a bigger stage.

Fionnuala McCormack has placed 11th in the Boston Marathon.

This was peak Fionnuala McCormack – fast, fluent and fighting to the bitter end.

This was a fitting climax for a pair of athletes replete with class — and indeed, courage.

Faster, fitter, and a whole lot healthier, Mark English has every reason to believe once again. Ten days out from the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow, the Donegal athlete has returned to the kind of form that saw him win a silver medal at the 2015 edition — and he believes a repeat showing could be on the cards.

Few people know a thing about it but the brains behind the inaugural European Championships, starting this morning and continuing over the next 10 days in Glasgow and Berlin, plan to change all that.

Success in distance running boils down to a relatively simple formula, but for the current crop of Irish athletes the conundrum has proved increasingly difficult to solve.

She ran her heart out, just like always, but as has increasingly been the case for Fionnuala McCormack at the European Cross Country, it just wasn’t enough.

Team Ireland have enjoyed an impressive fifth place finish in the men's relay event at the European Cross Country Championships in Slovakia.

A total of 27 athletes have been selected for the Irish team for the European Cross Country Championships to be held in Samorin, Slovakia this weekend. Ireland has entries in senior men’s and women’s as well as in the U20 category. Fionnuala McCormack (Kilcoole) will make a record-breaking 15th appearance on Sunday.

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.

Mark Christie won the Great Ireland Run in 29:30 in the Phoenix Park yesterday and also secured the national 10km title.

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

Ciara Neville (Emerald) kept her cool to clinch gold after a poor start in the women’s 60m while Phil Healy (Bandon) secured the European standard for the 400m on a weekend full of back stories and close finishes at the Irish Life Health National Indoor Championships in Abbotstown, Dublin.

Ciara Neville’s life in the fast lane seemed to be running on fumes long before the Castletroy teenager had even gotten into top gear but a hard edge and support now sees her on the cusp of her first senior international championship.

Fionnuala McCormack will have to overcome her Turkish nemesis at the European Cross Country Championships in Chia, Italy, tomorrow.

Fionnuala McCormack will again lead Irish hopes at the European Cross Country Championships in Chia, Italy on December 11.

Raheny Shamrock’s Mick Clohisey and UCD’s Ciara Mageean will be two of the leading lights at the Irish Life Health National Cross Country Championships at the Sport Ireland National Sports Campus tomorrow.

With one Olympic cycle concluded, so begins to road to Tokyo.

Here’s a briefing on some of the stories and issues highlighted on irishexaminer.com today

When the going got tough, she was just getting going. Fionnuala McCormack turned in a typically battling performance to finish 20th in a lifetime best of 2:31:22 in the Olympic marathon yesterday, held in brutally hot conditions around the streets of Rio.

Mark English will be the first Irish athlete to take to the track in the Olympic Stadium this afternoon, the 23-year-old getting his campaign under way in the sixth heat of the men’s 800m at 2:55pm Irish time.

Your one-stop guide to all the Olympic action featuring Irish athletes.

Three years ago, Ciara Mageean was unable to run, beset with injuries and staring down the barrel of career-threatening surgery.

Thomas Barr came out strongly in support of Irish teammate Fionnuala McCormack at the European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam last night, calling on athletics authorities to heed the advice of the Wicklow runner.

Good afternoon. Here’s all the news you need to know this lunchtime.

Good morning. Here’s everything you need to know before you start your day.

Many times in her career, Fionnuala McCormack has had to grin and bear as she dealt with the bitter taste of fourth place at a major championships, but this time it was clear she had enough.

For several of Ireland’s best marathoners, the door finally closed on Olympic qualification at the London Marathon yesterday, with the race to Rio de Janeiro now left in the hands of selectors ahead of next month’s deadline.

Fionnuala McCormack cruised to a facile win at the Spar Great Ireland Run in Dublin yesterday, the 31-year-old taking her first victory in the 10km race in 33:30 ahead of Deirdre Byrne and Maria McCambridge.

Fionnuala McCormack expects the IAAF to relent and allow Russian athletes to compete at this year’s Olympic Games, along with several other nations whose anti-doping systems have come under fire in recent months.