PAUL HESSION has been the star act at Cork City Sports for the past five years so it is fitting he should launch the second phase of his build-up to the European Championships at the CIT Athletics Arena this afternoon.

DERVAL O’ROURKE diverted to Dublin en route from Thessalonika on Thursday night for an early morning check-up with Mark McCabe in advance of her appearance today at the Cork City Sports.

HOMETOWN favourite Derval O’Rourke is set to line out at the Cork City sports tomorrow, after overcoming injury concerns in Thessalonika on Wednesday night, according to her coach, Sean Cahill.

PAUL HESSION will defend his Cork City Sports 200m title at the CIT on Saturday but is unlikely to double up at 100m.

AILIS McSWEENEY highlighted her return to form by reclaiming the national indoor 60m title at the Woodies DIY Irish indoor championships at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast last year but there will be more at stake when she defends the title this year.

AS HIS fellow competitors headed for the changing rooms, Ireland’s 200m sprinter Paul Hession lingered on the track for a while watching himself on one of the giant screens which hang in this vast Bird’s Nest Stadium.

Although he failed in his bid to become the first Irishman to qualify for an Olympic sprint final since Bob Tisdall in 1932, Paul Hession was still happy with his lot as he stood trackside in the Bird's Nest Stadium.

Dwain Chambers admits he can now sleep soundly after claiming a silver medal at the World Indoor Championships last night following the “nightmare” surrounding his controversial return to the sport.

Dwain Chambers failed to win the world indoor 60metres title by just 0.03seconds as Nigerian favourite Olusoji Fasuba took the title in Valencia.

AMERICA’S Justin Gatlin earned his mantle among the greats of sprinting last night as he added the world 100 metres title to the Olympic crown he won last year.

WORLD 100 metres record holder Asafa Powell will take on Olympic champions Justin Gatlin and Shawn Crawford as well as world sprint champion Kim Collins in a world-class 100m in Rome on July 8.

World 100 metres record holder Asafa Powell will take on Olympic champions Justin Gatlin and Shawn Crawford as well as world sprint champion Kim Collins in a world-class 100m in Rome next month.

JUSTIN GATLIN ran the race of his life, barely holding off the fastest Olympic 100m field in history to win the gold in 9.85 seconds.

VICTORIES by four genuine Olympic medal hopefuls helped atone for a bitterly disappointing display by Britain’s 100 metres sprinters in the Norwich Union London Grand Prix at a sweltering Crystal Palace last night.

Victories by four of Britain’s genuine Olympic medal hopefuls helped atone for a bitterly disappointing display by the 100 metres sprinters in the Norwich Union London Grand Prix at a sweltering Crystal Palace this evening.

Sprinter Mark Lewis-Francis insists he will not be jumping the gun by looking further than his next race when he competes in the 100 metres in the Olympics next month.

GARY RYAN’S Olympic qualification hopes were boosted yesterday when he was granted a place in the 200m in Saturday’s Meeting de Madrid 2004 - an IAAF Super Grand Prix - and then in Monday’s meet in Thessalonika.

World sprint champion Kim Collins has accused the US of covering up positive drug tests in its athletics team.

World sprint champion Kim Collins has accused America of covering up positive drug tests in their athletics team.

Olympic 100 metres gold medallist Marion Jones and men’s world 100m champion Kim Collins will compete at the Norwich Union London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace.

A MILLION dollar sprint featuring the Olympic, world and European 100 metre champions and the world record holder, is the highlight of a glamorous and highly lucrative Moscow athletics meeting tonight.

European 100metres champion Dwain Chambers opened his 2003 season with a third place in the Modesto Relays in California.

TIM MONTGOMERY and Dwain Chambers proved in the IAAF Grand Prix final that intense rivalry and not stage-managed races is more likely to produce a world record.

Tim Montgomery and Dwain Chambers proved in the IAAF Grand Prix final that intense rivalry and not stage-managed races is more likely to produce a world record.

SONIA O’SULLIVAN put in a spirited finish in the 3000m in Zurich last night and almost snatched second place from Russia’s Tatyana Tomashova, but neither were a match for winner Berhane Adere.

Christian Malcolm just failed to claim Britain's third medal of the World Athletics Championships in a thrilling 200m final in Edmonton.