Fionnuala Britton will earn her 31st international cap at next month’s European cross country championships in Bulgaria.

The Athletics Ireland biannual General Congress takes place this weekend in the Moran’s Silver Springs Hotel in Cork and there is expected to be some lively debate and arguments over a wide range of topics from cross-country to finance and high performance.

Paul Robinson finished in ninth position in the U-23 Men’s European Cross Country Championship.

By Will Downing

“I couldn’t leave that one go,” admitted senior boy’s winner Sean Tobin of his last chance at glory in Saturday’s Aviva All-Ireland Schools’ and Universities’ Cross Country Championships at University of Ulster, Jordanstown.

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

Eddie McGinley (Annadale Striders) yesterday won his first Irish senior cross country title after leading from the gun in the Woodie’s DIY Inter Clubs Cross Country Championships in Santry.

EUROPE’S top cross-country runner, Fionnuala Britton will be one of the favourites for the gold medal when she leads the Irish women’s team into next month’s European cross-country championships in Slovenia.

WORLD youth racewalking champion Kate Veale (West Waterford), finished third in the junior women’s race at the prestigious McCain UK Cross Challenge in Bristol over the weekend.

THE winners of the senior men’s and senior women’s titles at Saturday’s Woodies DIY national inter-clubs cross-country championships at Santry Demesne are not interested in going to the world cross-country championships in Punta Unbria, Spain, on March 20.