Robert Heffernan is in line to win a retrospective bronze medal in the 20km race walk from the 2010 European Championships in Barcelona after Russian Stanislav Emelyanov was found to have committed an anti-doping violation.

Rob Heffernan will lead an Irish team of 25 athlete’s to Zurich for next months Europeans, which take place from August 12 – 17.

Robert Heffernan was placed 23rd (1:21:00) over 20km at the IAAF World Race Walking Cup in Taicang, China yesterday.

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).

Robert Heffernan’s medal chances have been significantly enhanced with the withdrawal of Russian Olympic champion Sergey Kirdyapkin for this morning’s 50km race walk at the World Championships in Moscow and double 50km Olympian Colin Griffin believes the Corkman is on course for a treasured medal.

Laura Reynolds, the only Irish athlete in World Championship action today, endured a tough time in the 20km race walk.

Laura Reynolds expressed extreme disappointment in finishing 31st in the women’s 20k walk at the World Athletics Championships in Moscow.

Brian Gregan persevered but ultimately finished seventh in his 400m semi-final, bowing out of the World Athletics Championships in Moscow.

Robert Heffernan was a frustrated figure after his ninth place finish in 1:23:26 over 20km at the European Cup of Race Walking in Dudince, Slovakia yesterday as he took a heavy fall at 12km when in contention.

Inside the top six at the Olympic Games, multiple European and World Championships competitor and still Rob Heffernan continues in his quest to secure a first international medal.

Robert Heffernan put on a masterclass of race walking to win his 15th national title but felt the atmosphere ‘dead’ on day one of the Woodie’s DIY National Indoor Championships in Athlone on Saturday.

A legend of Irish race walking took her final Olympic steps on a cool Saturday evening in London.

Olive Loughnane and Laura Reynolds have continued the good news for Irish athletes in the walking events today.

Colin Griffin has boosted the Irish track and field team for the Olympic Games to 18 after sailing past the Olympic A standard to qualify for the 50k race walking at London 2012.

Colin Griffin achieved the 50k standard for the Olympic Games at the IAAF World Cup of Race Walking in Saransk, Russia over the weekend.

AMY FOSTER’S seventh place finish in the 200m final capped off a tremendous campaign for Team Ireland at the World University Games in Shenzhen, China.

KATE VEALE (West Waterford) won bronze in the junior 10k at theEuropean Racewalking Cup in Olhao, Portugal, on Saturday.

WORLD SILVER medallist, Olive Loughnane, faces her first big assignment of the year when she lines up for the European Cup Race Walking in Olhão on the Algarve on Saturday.

AILIS McSWEENEY (Leevale AC) stormed to a new personal best performance with a sensational 7.32 sec victory in the women’s 60m — just two hundredths of a second off the national record — at the Woodies DIY Irish Indoor championships at the Odyssey Arena yesterday.

The 2011 Woodie's DIY Irish Indoor Championships got underway at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast today. The highlight was the women's 3,000 metres walk which was won by Laura Reynolds from Mohill AC.

ROBERT HEFFERNAN got 2011 off to a record breaking start on his home turf when he smashed the national 30k walk record with a sizzling 2:07.48 in the Woodies DIY national walk championships around the Monahan Road/Centre Park Road circuit in Cork yesterday.

CLAIRE BRADY (Celbridge) will be back in action on Irish soil on Sunday when she lines up for the 100m at the Woodies DIY AAI Games, which return to Castleisland after a 10-year absence. The Games will include senior relays as well as Paralympic events and a Masters 3km team event.

DICK HOOPER, Ireland’s Marathon Man, will be at his old stomping ground, St Anne’s Park in Raheny, tomorrow to present the prizes for the Dublin City Council/BHAA road races when the programme will be comprised of a men’s four-mile race and women’s two mile race.

PAUL HESSION ran the fastest ever 200m — unfortunately wind-assisted — by an Irishman when finishing third at last night’s international athletics meeting in Thessalonika.

ROBERT HEFFERNAN could get close to a medal if everything goes well at the European Race-Walking Cup in Leamington Spa tomorrow.

Brendan Mooney

BRENDAN O’NEILL (St. Michael’s, Dublin), Mairead Murphy (Mercy, Waterford) and Laura Reynolds (Marian, Mohill) all set new records at the KitKat Tailteann Irish Schools interpros at Tullamore on Saturday when a number of athletes bound for the European Youth Olympic Festival got the perfect send-off.