Phil Healy and Ciara Mageean starred internationally with good early season form while there was a host of championship best performances at the Irish Life Health U20 & U23 Championships in Athlone over the weekend.

They may have relinquished their hold on the team title, but there was ample consolation for East Cork Athletic Club as Tim O’Donoghue powered his way to an impressive victory at the Cork County senior cross-country championships at White’s Cross.

Medal hopes Thomas Barr and Ciara Mageean gave themselves the perfect send-off for next week’s European Championships in Berlin with foot-perfect performances at the Irish Life Health National Championships in Santry yesterday.

Pain was no barrier for Gary O’Hanlon as he finally won the Irish Examiner Cork City Marathon in style with a course record of 2:21:10 as Zola Flynn captured the women’s title in 2:58:55.

National champion Gary O’Hanlon believes tomorrow’s Irish Examiner Cork City Marathon will be one of the most challenging editions of the event.

Charlie O’Donovan goes into today’s Irish Life Health All-Ireland Schools Cross-Country Championships in Waterford with twin ambitions — an individual medal and a team prize for Coláiste Chríost Rí.

Saturday night may have brought about an air of gloom over the London Stadium, but Irish eyes were smiling once again at the World Championships yesterday after an array of strong performances.

Irish athletes face an uphill struggle at the World Athletics Championships, which kick off in London tomorrow. Fierce global competition and drugs are two obvious reasons but there are obstacles a lot closer to home, argues Brendan O’Brien.

Less than two weeks out from the World Championships in London, this was always going to be a fact-finding mission for Ciara Mageean, Mark English, Brian Gregan, and Thomas Barr, and though each of them faced a test of differing degrees of difficulty, they all passed with flying colours.

Canada’s Crystal Emmanuel shone brightest at the 66th edition of the Cork City Sports last night, the 25-year-old blasting to a national record of 22.50 in a race in which Bandon’s Phil Healy broke new ground with a huge personal best of 23.32.

A long-term vision has finally become a reality for the impressive Cork athletics club.

When Colm Cronin hopped, skipped and jumped 15.89 meters on June 26th 1977, little did the Leevale man realise his Irish triple jump record would remain peerless some 40 years later.

Despite lingering jet-lag, after a long-haul flight from the US, San Francisco runner Chris Mocko still managed to limbo under the finish line to win the Irish Examiner Cork City Marathon.

Irish Examiner Cork City marathon

Two-time Irish marathon champion Sean Hehir says he is far more inspired by legendary Clare hard-man Seamus Power than the Kenyan Olympic champion who took part in the recent bid to break the two-hour marathon barrier.

Mark Christie won the Great Ireland Run in 29:30 in the Phoenix Park yesterday and also secured the national 10km title.

Ciara Neville (Emerald) kept her cool to clinch gold after a poor start in the women’s 60m while Phil Healy (Bandon) secured the European standard for the 400m on a weekend full of back stories and close finishes at the Irish Life Health National Indoor Championships in Abbotstown, Dublin.

Fionnuala McCormack will have to overcome her Turkish nemesis at the European Cross Country Championships in Chia, Italy, tomorrow.

There was never any doubt that Thomas Barr would win the athlete of the year award at the Irish Life Health National Athletics Awards yesterday.

Fionnuala McCormack will again lead Irish hopes at the European Cross Country Championships in Chia, Italy on December 11.

Raheny Shamrock’s Mick Clohisey and UCD’s Ciara Mageean will be two of the leading lights at the Irish Life Health National Cross Country Championships at the Sport Ireland National Sports Campus tomorrow.

Tomorrow marks the culmination of the American collegiate cross-country season, when the 79th NCAA championships take place at Terre Haute, hosted by Indiana State University.

Phil Healy’s epic relay leg for UCC last month may have entered athletics folklore, but her first official attempt at the 400m left no one in doubt of her future potential over the one-lap distance.

Fionnuala McCormack cruised to a facile win at the Spar Great Ireland Run in Dublin yesterday, the 31-year-old taking her first victory in the 10km race in 33:30 ahead of Deirdre Byrne and Maria McCambridge.

‘I feel good, my training’s gone well, I’m in a good place mentally and physically’

There was no joy for the Irish women on the third day of the IAAF World Championships in Beijing with Tori Pena, Michelle Finn, Sara Treacy and Kerry O’Flaherty missing out on qualification in their respective events.

Thomas Barr and Mark English missed out on making their respective finals at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing yesterday.

Robert Heffernan believes he is in with a “fighting chance” of defending his World 50km Race Walk title when he toes the line at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing next week.

Lizzie Lee produced a front-running performance to win the national half marathon championships in 73 minutes and 27 seconds on the streets of Dublin yesterday.

UK Athletics has found no evidence of wrongdoing by Mo Farah in the initial findings of its investigation into allegations of doping against his coach Alberto Salazar.

Double European medallist Mark English will look to etch his name into the rich history of The Cork City Sports at the CIT stadium in Bishopstown this evening.

Cillian O’Leary claimed a famous comeback victory in the Irish Examiner Cork City Marathon in 2:30:41 yesterday, as Nollaigh O’Neill-Hunter triumphed convincingly in the women’s race in 2:57:45 in wet and wild conditions.

The Leevale Sports showcased some of Ireland’s best talent on Saturday with Marcus Lawler leading the way, clocking 21.14 seconds in the 200m, while Matthew Behan broke the national junior record in the 110m hurdles.

Sonia O’Sullivan returns to the Leevale Sports today for the first time since 1987 when she was aiming to qualify for the European Junior Track and Field Championships.

Gemma Steel denied Fionnuala Britton a maiden victory in a fascinating duel in blustery conditions in the Phoenix Park at the SPAR Great Ireland Run 10km on Saturday.

Fionnuala Britton will aim to make it third-time lucky at the SPAR Great Ireland Run 10km in Dublin’s Phoenix Park tomorrow as she continues her transition to road running.