Six-times European Cross-Country Champion Sergei Lebid has been confirmed for the Great Ireland Run in the Phoenix Park in April.

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.

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

Jolene Byrne has taken her first Women's title at today's National Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships.

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.

Ireland are celebrating their first ever women's world relay medal after the women's 4x100 relay team scooped bronze at the World University Games in Izmir.

Sprinter Paul Hession claimed Ireland's third medal at the 2005 World University Games medal in Izmir, Turkey tonight, battling hard for bronze in the 200 metres final.

Ireland celebrated in style at the World University Games in Izmir, Turkey tonight as Ailis McSweeney and Derval O'Rourke, both products of Cork's Leevale club, grabbed podium finishes.

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 could miss next weekend’s Woodies DIY national senior track and field championships with a foot problem that has been bothering her for some weeks now.

Dubliner Maria McCambridge knocked over six seconds off her 3000 metres personal best when claiming the notable scalp of 2004 World Cross Country champion Benita Johnson in Madrid tonight.

CRAIG MOTTRAM may have failed narrowly to break his 3,000m Australian record at the BUPA Cork City Sports but his 7:38.15 ­ an Irish all-comers record - was the performance of the meet on a wet Saturday afternoon at the Mardyke.

AMY RUDOLPH stole the show with the race-winning sprint at the Great BUPA Ireland Run in the Phoenix Park but Sonia O’Sullivan was beaming after achieving her target time - 32:18 - in the build-up to her London Marathon bid on Sunday.

An upbeat Sonia O’Sullivan believes she will be in the best possible shape for the 25th Flora London Marathon next Sunday.

Sonia O’Sullivan proved she is in good shape for the Flora London Marathon after finishing second behind Amy Rudolph in today’s Great BUPA Ireland Run in Dublin

Sonia O’Sullivan was narrowly beaten in a tight finish to the BUPA Ireland Run in Dublin by America’s Amy Rudolph.

SONIA O’SULLIVAN and Mark Carroll hope to show the Irish Sports Council they are not ready for the scrap heap as they take on a star-studded field in today’s Great BUPA Ireland Run in Dublin’s Phoenix Park.

European cross country champion Hayley Yelling faces a tough race in Ireland tomorrow as she bids for a return to winning form.

Irish cross-country champion Jolene Byrne has made a late decision to compete in Saturday’s Great BUPA Ireland Run in Dublin.

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.

THE Athletics Association of Ireland (AAI) will this week meet with their interim Chief Executive.

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

Dathan Ritzenheim scored one of the most unexpected victories of the season in today’s Reebok international cross-country race in Belfast.

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.

OLIVE LOUGHNANE has pulled out of next weekend’s IAAF World Race Walking Cup in Naumburg, Germany, following an injury that resulted in the loss of valuable training time in preparation for her Olympic bid in Athens next August.

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

EVERY cloud has a silver lining and that’s how it turned out for the Irish women’s team at the European cross-country championships in Edinburgh yesterday when the dark rain cloud dipped behind the Haggis Knowe and they swept past a shocked French team to claim their silver team medals.

Catherina McKiernan has been selected for Ireland’s Spar European Cross-Country Championships despite missing a key meeting.

SÉAMUS POWER took the national Inter-counties Cross-Country Championships to a new level in Belvedere, Mullingar, yesterday, when he once again battled his way through the pain barrier to win the title for an amazing ninth successive time.