Darragh McElhinney produced an outstanding performance to smash the Irish U20 5000m record in Oordegem, Belgium on Saturday, the Glengariff 18-year-old becoming the first ever Irish junior to break 14 minutes with his clocking of 13:54.10.

Ireland’s fastest woman lived up to her billing with a brilliant performance at the Irish Universities Athletics Championships in Athlone on Saturday.

The indoor 400m is renowned as a full-contact sport, with Thomas Barr feeling the full brunt of it yesterday in Abbotstown, as his bid for the Irish indoor title was shunted aside by rival Andrew Mellon.

Marcus Lawler has suffered an early exit in the 200m at the European Athletics Championships in Berlin.

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.

Few nations embrace their medal-winners quite like Ireland, a country that puts a higher premium on international success due to its rarity.

Here’s a prediction: the next great Irish athlete, the one we take a hiatus from work to watch challenge for an Olympic medal, will not be a distance runner.

Ireland lie seventh after the middle day of the European Athletics Team Championships in the northern Finnish city of Vaasa, with Brian Gregan scoring the only Irish victory of day two, alongside eleven top-six finishes.

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

Thomas Barr came out strongly in support of Irish teammate Fionnuala McCormack at the European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam last night, calling on athletics authorities to heed the advice of the Wicklow runner.

It may have taken seven years, but Olive Loughnane can finally call herself a world champion, and what’s more, she now has the medal to prove it.

Pessimism may be a tempting and often appropriate outlook when it comes to Irish athletics these days, but in Tullamore on Saturday, even the most cynical of souls couldn’t but be swayed: the future remains bright.

Leevale AC retained their women’s title at the Glohealth National Road Relays, in Dublin, yesterday, while hosts, Raheny, won the men’s race.

On what was his 21st birthday, Marcus Lawler came of age in style yesterday by blitzing the field to win the 200m title at the GloHealth National Indoor Championships in Athlone.

Despite a slow start to the year, Ireland’s fastest man is hoping to move through the gears as he chases Olympic qualification over 200 metres.

There was no joy for Mark English in the 800m final at the European U23 Athletics Championships in Tallinn with the Donegal star finishing 8th in 1:50.42.

Cold and damp conditions ultimately put pay to Kevin Mulcaire’s record-breaking ambitions but nothing could stop Ciara Neville lighting up the track at the GloHealth All Ireland Schools Track and Field Championships in Tullamore on Saturday.

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.

Athletics: Thomas Barr and Marcus Lawler starred at the Irish Universities Championships Indoor championships in Athlone yesterday.

Athletics: Athletics

Sligo AC retained their men’s title while Leevale’s women went on the roll of honour for the first time at the Woodie’s DIY National Road Relay Championships in Raheny, Dublin yesterday.

Athletics: Sarah Lavin was named female athlete of the meet at the Leevale T&F promotion at the Cork IT yesterday in unusual circumstances.

The opportunity to lay down early season markers and maybe achieve a qualifying performance for the various summer championships has seen a huge entry of over 200 athletes for the annual Leevale T&F meeting tomorrow.

Marcus Lawler and Kelly Proper saved the best until last at the Woodie’s DIY National Senior Indoor Championships in Athlone when they powered around their respective 200m races in record-breaking fashion while Amy Foster snaffled a world indoor qualifying time in the 60m, pipping Phil Healy in the process.

Marcus Lawler and Phil Healy have continued their rapid ascent since being a class apart at the All-Ireland Schools Track and Field Championships last summer and the two sprinters are set to star at the Woodie’s DIY Senior Indoor Championships in Athlone this weekend.

Mary Cullen stormed to a course record of 25 minutes and 37 seconds in windy conditions at the Axa Raheny five-mile race yesterday while there was also plenty of action in the Woodie’s DIY National Junior and U23 Championships in Athlone.

Kelly Proper was the star of the Woodies DIY national track and field championships taking three gold medals in Santry Stadium.

Sarah Lavin picked up Ireland’s sole medal of the European Junior Championships in Rieti, crossing the line second in a dramatic 100m hurdles final on Saturday.

The surnames of Lawler and Healy, though not yet in lights, are inscribed above the 100m and 200m national junior records, while Lavin is our fastest ever junior over the hurdles, quicker even than Derval O’Rourke.

Ireland have secured league one status at the European team championships finishing seventh overall.

Ireland are well on course to retaining League One status the European team championships, held in Dublin today.

Derval O’Rourke is the standout name of the athletes pre-selected for the European first league team championships at the end of the month.

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.

An impressive double by 18-year-old Clonmel athlete Sean Tobin was the highlight of the 13th annual Leevale T&F meeting which took place at the Cork IT track in dry but windy conditions on Saturday.

The Woodie’s DIY National Senior Indoor Championships are set for a major facelift this weekend in Athlone with some of Ireland’s top class athletes set to compete alongside the country’s leading club athletes.

Ciara Everard turned mishap into magic at the Athlone Institute of Technology indoor arena yesterday as she sped to a new national indoor 800m record of 2:02.54 and a European Indoor qualifying time (2:03.5) in a incredible weekend for Irish athletics.

Twins featured strongly at yesterday’s Woodie’s DIY National Junior & Under 23 Track & Field Championships in Tullamore, with the Monaghans and Nevilles sharing four medals between them.

It’s a busy weekend for young Irish athletes with the annual AVIVA Tailteann Irish Schools Interprovincial Track & Field meeting taking place at the Morton Stadium, Santry today, followed tomorrow by the Irish Junior & U23 Championships in Tullamore.

While some fine early season sprinting and a number of exciting finishes were the highlights of the Leevale Track & Field meeting at Cork IT on Saturday, the big upset of the day came in the women’s 1500m, where European Junior silver medallist Ciara Mageean had to settle for second behind Orla Drumm.

BEN KIELY (Ferrybank AC) produced another sensational, record-breaking performance in the final of the boys’ 400m hurdles to claim a second gold medal for Ireland at the European Youth Olympics in Trabzon, Turkey, yesterday.

RUAIRI FINNEGAN (Letterkenny AC), a finalist at the world youths championships a couple of weeks ago, claimed the gold medal in the 1,500m at the European Youth Olympics in Trabzon, Turkey, yesterday.

KATE VEALE (West Waterford) set a world best time of 21 mins 45.59 secs to win Ireland’s first ever gold medal in the 5k walk at the World Youths Athletics Championships in Lille yesterday.

RUAIRÍ FINNEGAN (Letterkenny AC) has qualified for Sunday’s 1500m final at the World Youth Track and Field Championships in Lille.