DEIRDRE BYRNE and Linda Byrne, who were among Ireland’s top finishers at the European cross-country championships in Spain, returned to action in the muddy Belfast international at the Stormont Estate on Saturday where they finished third and fifth, respectively.

MARTIN FAGAN and Mary Cullen are named in the Irish senior teams for the European cross-country championships in Toro, near Madrid, on Sunday week.

Athletics Ireland today announced a 36-strong team for the European Cross Country Championships which take place on December 9 in Toro, Spain.

LAST summer Gary Murray was told by the renowned Munich sports injury specialist, Dr Hans Mueller, that his back was in such bad shape that he should not be running at all.

The inaugural National Athletics Awards 2007 were launched today by Athletics Ireland.

FIONNUALA BRITTON will be Ireland’s only representative at the world cross-country championships in Mombasa at the end of the month.

FIONNUALA BRITTON will be Ireland’s only representative at the world cross-country championships in Mombasa at the end of the month.

AFTER the glitter of the European indoor championships, the spotlight swings to Sligo Racecourse this weekend where teak-tough Clareman Seamus Power bids to reclaim the national inter-clubs cross-country title.

Etalemahu Kidane has won her third consecutive Belfast International Cross-Country at Stormont.

A SUSPECTED case of food poisoning cost Ireland dearly at the SPAR European cross-country championships at San Giorgio su Legnano, Italy, yesterday.

Fionnuala Britton took silver today for Ireland in the Under 23 event at the Spar European Cross Country Championships in Legnano, Italy.

MARK CHRISTIE (Westmeath) claimed his first national senior title with victory at the inter-counties cross-country championships at St Augustine’s College, Dungarvan, yesterday.

SEAMUS POWER bids to win the National senior inter-counties cross-country title for a sensational 10th time at St Augustine’s College, Dungarvan, on Sunday.

LIAM REALE threw something of a cloud over Alistair Cragg’s European championship ambitions when he outsmarted the European indoor 3,000m champion and then held him off comfortably in the finishing straight to land the 1,500m title at the Woodies DIY national track and field championships at Morton Stadium yesterday.

SONIA O’SULLIVAN will present the awards when the Irish Milers Club stages 1,500m races for men and women in conjunction with the Kit Kat Irish Schools Track and Field Championships in Tullamore tomorrow.

Australian Craig Mottram will be going for a fourth successive win when he runs in today's 10k BUPA Great Ireland Run in Dublin.

THE absence of the likes of reigning champion Gary Murray (injured) has thrown today’s national senior inter-club cross-country championships at Santry Demesne wide open. And it could be just the race for Vinny Mulvey.

DATHAN RITZENHEIM plans a second big surprise when he defends his Belfast International Cross Country title at Stormont today.

SERGIY LEBID stole the show with a devastating last lap surge to claim his fifth successive title - and his sixth in all - at the SPAR European cross-country championships in Tilburg, overcoming the challenge of Spain’s Alberto Garcia, the European 5,000m champion who only returned from a two-year ban for a positive drugs test last March.

THE forced withdrawal of Alistair Cragg has been a huge blow to Ireland’s medal hopes at the European cross-country championships in Tilburg, but the men’s team, led by national champion Gary Murray, are ready to get on with the job they came here to do.

MEDAL hope Alistair Cragg has been forced to withdraw from the Irish team for Sunday’s European cross-country championships in Tilburg.

Alastair Cragg will lead the Irish team in the European Cross Country Championships scheduled for Tilburg in Holland on December 11.

BUPA Cork City Sports received another off-season accolade this week when last summer's edition was ranked sixth on the evaluation list of outdoor meetings for 2005, with the points total reaching a stunning 79,994 - only slightly behind the total for the second-placed meeting.

MULLINGAR clubmates Martin Fagan and Mark Christie could be reunited on the Irish cross-country team for the first time since 2001 when the squad for next month’s SPAR European Cross-Country Championships in Tilburg is announced.

JER O’DONOGHUE (Leevale) returned to his native county to claim his qualifying standard for next year’s European track and field championships last night when An Riocht AC unveiled their magnificent new €1.8 million facility with the Lee Strand International at Castleisland.

Simon Lewis

WITH so many stars absent through injury the Woodies DIY National Senior Track and Field Championships at Morton Stadium over the weekend may not have left things straight forward for the selectors who will name the team for the world championships later today but they provided fans with plenty of entertainment.

National cross country champion Jolene Byrne came from third on the final bend to take the 1500 metres title at the Woodies DIY Irish Track and Field championships. But she almost surrendered the gold in the final strides at Morton Stadium, Santry.

SONIA O’SULLIVAN misses the Woodies DIY National senior track and field championships at Morton Stadium at the weekend.

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.

THE team for next month’s European Youth Olympic Festival in Lignano was finalised following the Kit Kat Irish Schools Track and Field Championships on Saturday when, despite some inclement weather, all the qualifiers produced some spectacular performances.

There was disappointment for Irish cross country champion Jolene Byrne in the European Cup 10,000 metres in Barakaldo, Spain, yesterday - despite his fifth-place finish.

EUROPEAN gold medallist Alistair Cragg is considering an audacious attempt at the 4km and 12km titles on successive days at the World Cross-Country Championships in Saint-Etienne/Saint-Galmier next weekend.

Alistair Cragg will lead Ireland’s men’s side for the forthcoming IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Saint-Galmier, on March 19 and 20.

Alistair Cragg will lead Ireland’s men’s side for the forthcoming IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Saint-Galmier, on March 19 and 20.

GARY MURRAY (St. Malachy’s) claimed the national inter-clubs cross-country title at Santry on Saturday after an exciting duel with Mark Kenneally (Clonliffe Harriers) as the young guns finally wrestled control of the championship from the old guard.

St Malachy's Gary Murray powered to his first ever Irish Cross Country title at Santry today - booking his place in next month's World Championships in France, in the process.

Brendan Mooney

MARK CHRISTIE, one of the country’s most exciting athletes, is all set to bring down the curtain on his junior career with a stylish performance at the European Cross-country Championships in Heringsdorf, Germany, on Sunday.

CATHERINA McKIERNAN yesterday heralded her return to form when capturing the national inter-club cross-country title which she last won 11 years ago.

UNA ENGLISH emerged as Ireland’s leading athlete at the World Cross-country Championships staged in sun-soaked Lausanne over the weekend when she finished 16th in the short course race.