IRISH HURDLER Peter Coghlan has quit athletics in protest at being omitted from the Irish Sport Council’s high-performance grant recipients.

The Irish Open Swimming Championships finished with Julie Douglas winning the Larry Williamson Memorial Trophy for ‘Swimmer of the Meet’.

The Olympic Council of Ireland last night sensationally extended the Athens qualification deadline for Irish track and field athletes to 5pm on July 20, in the wake of Athletics Ireland's case pleaded on behalf of those close to the A standard.

THE Olympic Council of Ireland may extend their qualification deadlines for the Athens Games, according to OCI President Pat Hickey.

Swim Ireland's only realistic hope of progress for a semi-final berth this weekend at the World Championships in Barcelona faded as Portstewart's Emma Robinson bowed out at the preliminary stages of the 50m Breaststroke this morning.

Sunday Well's Lee Kelleher, 21, had a slow second 100m to thank for failing to qualify from heat five of the 200m Butterfly prelims this morning at the World Championships in Barcelona.

Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe has shattered his own 200m freestyle world record to claim a fourth gold medal at the World Championships in Japan.