Athletics Ireland has announced its largest ever team for the World Indoor Championships in the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham later this month.

MARTIN McCARTHY (Leevale) won’t be taking anything for granted when he lines up for the national inter-clubs cross-country championships long course race at Rathdrum on Sunday, for the Corkman has learned from experience.

GARY RYAN has hit form at precisely the right moment — and the Nenagh Olympic sprinter highlighted this fact once again at the weekend in Birmingham where he became the first Irishman in history to break 21 seconds for 200m indoors with a 20.99 victory in the final.

IT WAS to be a day of celebration for Kerry’s Gillian O’Sullivan (Farranfore/Maine Valley) at the opening session of the indoor championships of Ireland.

CIARAN McDONAGH, who has been plagued by injury since he became the first Irishman to long jump over eight metres at the world championships in Seville in 1999, will be back in an Irish singlet at an International meet in Cardiff next weekend.

CIARA SHEEHY was bitterly disappointed that she had been switched from lane eight to lane one without her knowledge before the start of last night’s semi-finals of the Women’s 200 metres.

Ireland’s Ciara Sheehy and Gary Ryan have both failed to qualify for the finals of the women’s and men’s 200m at the European Championships in Munich.

Two Irish hopefuls are in action at the European Championships in Munich later this afternoon.

Two Irish hopefuls are in action at the European Championships in Munich later this afternoon.

GERALDINE HENDRICKEN, Ireland’s athletic sensation of the season, will go into action this morning in the women’s 1,500m heats, which have an automatic place in Sunday’s final as the prize for the first three.

SONIA O'SULLIVAN is noted for surprises and she produced another big one for fans yesterday in the form of an unique 800m/5,000m double at the national track and field championships at Morton Stadium.

Sonia O'Sullivan has continued her winnings at the National Championships at the Morton Stadium.

SONIA O'SULLIVAN will compete in the 800m on at the national track and field championships at Morton Stadium, Santry, tomorrow, but there will be no head-to-head with Ireland's current middle distance sensation, Geraldine Hendricken.

Irish athletes have performed well during the early finals of the Triple A championships in Birmingham, winning both 3,000 metre walks and the women’s 1,500 metre and 3,000 metre races.