PAUL HESSION was left struggling for an explanation as he watched a replay of the final of the men’s 200m at the European championships in Barcelona’s Olympic Stadium last night after he faded down the home straight to finish sixth in a disappointing time of 20.71 secs.

PAUL HESSION made this evening’s final of the men’s 200m among the fastest losers after a nail-biting wait at the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona last night, where Ailis McSweeney failed by a mere 100th of a second to make the final of the women’s 100m.

JOANNE CUDDIHY probably won’t win a medal at the European championships in Gothenburg — a cruel draw may have decided that last night when she drew Lane 1 for tonight’s final — but she won a special place in the hearts of Irish athletics fans with a courageous performance in the semi-finals of the women’s 400m.