Robert Heffernan finished a fighting fifth in the men’s 50km race walk in 3:44:17 in a brave bid to defend his world title at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, while Ireland’s men’s 4x400m relay team set a national record.

Thomas Barr is targeting a final berth in the 400m hurdles at his maiden World Athletics Championships in Beijing at the end of this month.

There was no joy for Mark English in the 800m final at the European U23 Athletics Championships in Tallinn with the Donegal star finishing 8th in 1:50.42.

Athletics Ireland has unexpectedly announced that national endurance coach Chris Jones will be leaving the organisation.

Kevin Ankrom’s first contract as Athletics Ireland’s high performance manager expired last night as the first bars of Auld Lang Syne kicked off and, though there has been no announcement about a follow-up, the American is breezily confident about sticking around.

Ireland’s 2016 Olympic ambitions have received a €2 million cash injection that will allow sports to fund acclimatisation camps, meet competition costs and, in some cases, provide extra equipment for athletes targeting the Games in Brazil.

The Olympic Council of Ireland announced the Team Ireland leaders for the Rio Olympic Games 2016 this morning and Paul McGinley is the Team Leader for the golfers.

Athletics Ireland High Performance Director Kevin Ankrom has defended the decision to not follow the European marathon selection policy for the women’s team with the late inclusion of Fionnuala Britton and Sarah Mulligan by declaring it as only a guideline.

Athletics Ireland high performance manager Kevin Ankrom is hanging his hopes on Robert Heffernan winning a medal in the 50km race walk at the European Championships in Zurich.

Athletics Ireland chief executive John Foley has defended the salaries of its High Performance staff, but refused to reveal how much each individual is being paid.

Derval O’Rourke and Ciarán Ó Lionáird have expressed disappointment at the level of funding they are set to receive in 2014.

Olympic walker Colin Griffin believes Irish athletes need some kind of representative body similar to the GPA (Gaelic Players’ Association).

Watching the excellent ‘Feile Dreams’ documentary last Monday, it seemed, at first, extraordinary to think coaches of Irish birth or descent could actually go and sell the game of Gaelic football to a group of kids born and raised in London, most of whose roots are traced back to Africa rather than Achill, Athlone or Annascaul.

Athletics Ireland high performance director Kevin Ankrom believes the association are fronting up to the challenge of turning talented underage athletes into senior performers.

Athletics Ireland High Performance Director Kevin Ankrom admitted Ireland will be fighting for survival at the European Team Championships first league in Morton Stadium on June 22/23 on the announcement of the team yesterday.

Athletics Ireland publicly rolled out their High Performance plan for the next Olympic cycle at the Gresham Hotel yesterday with the vision of “more Irish athletes winning on the world stage” and a target of 24 medals being won at major championships between 2013 and 2016.

Athletics Ireland High Performance director Kevin Ankrom is “excited” about the prospect of hiring a national endurance coach — Ireland’s first full-time athletics coach — whom he hopes to identify next week after the interview process concludes today.

Derval O’Rourke was left holding back the tears after just missing out on a medal in the 60m hurdles final but even that heartbreak couldn’t take away from an exceptional day’s work by the Irish team on day one of the European indoors in Gothenburg

Sonia O’Sullivan believes success “should be expected” by Irish athletes at the European Indoor Championships, which begin this morning in Gothenburg.

Athletics Ireland high performance director Kevin Ankrom has said they have opportunities for medals this weekend at the European Indoor Championships in Gothenburg.

Brian Gregan feels ready for any challenge at the European Indoor Track and Field Championships in his bid to win his first senior international 400m medal in Gothenburg on March 1-3 as part of a strong Irish team.

Athletics Ireland High Performance Director Kevin Ankrom last night confirmed that a women’s team will compete at the World Cross Country Championships in Poland next month.

The likelihood of an Irish women’s team competing at the World Cross-Country Championships in Poland next March remains a distant one, despite the insistence of Athletics Ireland officials they remain open to the idea.

The historic Irish women’s European cross country winning team are unlikely to compete at the World Championships in Poland in March according to Athletics Ireland High Performance Director Kevin Ankrom.

If Derval O’Rourke runs like she is capable of running she will make tonight’s final of the women’s 100m hurdles at the Olympic Stadium, according to her coach Sean Cahill.

She probably won’t go on to win a medal like Katie did, she may not even achieve her primary goal of running a national record and personal best, but yesterday Derval O’Rourke proved again what a champion she is.

One of Ireland’s top athletics chiefs admits to having concerns about Derval O’Rourke’s readiness for the Olympic Games following a betting scandal involving boyfriend Peter O’Leary.

Ireland’s proximity to London was seen as a positive ahead of these Olympic Games but it seems there is a counter argument to that theory.

There was a mix of joy, drama and heartbreak for the Irish athletes in action on the opening day of the European track and field championships in Helsinki yesterday.

One of the country’s top middle-distance runners, Ennis athlete Rory Chesser may be on the start-list for next week’s European championships in Helsinki, but claims Athletics Ireland have stopped him competing after deciding not to name him on the Irish team.

Maria McCambridge will not appeal the decision which yesterday destroyed her Olympic marathon dream.

Irish athletics chiefs and competitors last night played down the poor performances at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Istanbul.

New technology that examines in forensic detail the movements of Derval O’Rourke as she scales hurdles has allowed the Cork woman to highlight an injury that affected her performance at the recent Irish indoor championships, while also giving her the best possible preparation for the upcoming world indoor championships in Istanbul (March 9-11).

CIARÁN Ó LIONAIRD is set to take his place among the great middle distance runners after a cool, calculated and confident run in the 1,500m heats at the world championships in Daegu yesterday.

THE Olympic Council of Ireland has moved quickly to dispel suggestions they will accept ‘B’ standard athletes for next year’s London Olympics.

FOLLOWING medal successes at the world youth and European U23 championships, Ciara Mageean (City of Lisburn) will be one of the favourites at the women’s European junior 1,500m final in Tallinn on Thursday morning.

THEY’VE been hunting for a high performance director for years but with little success. Internal wrangling resulting in a costly court case had threatened to tear the association apart at one stage, but Athletics Ireland have finally got their man.

IRISH team manager Patsy McGonagle admits that Athletics Ireland chiefs “need to take a hard look at ourselves” after the national team’s disappointing performance at the European Indoor Championships in Paris.

THE chief executive of Athletics Ireland believes the appointment of Kevin Ankrom as High Performance Director will add a ‘huge dimension’ to the organisation and the development of the sport.