WITH so many stars absent through injury the Woodies DIY National Senior Track and Field Championships at Morton Stadium over the weekend may not have left things straight forward for the selectors who will name the team for the world championships later today but they provided fans with plenty of entertainment.

National cross country champion Jolene Byrne came from third on the final bend to take the 1500 metres title at the Woodies DIY Irish Track and Field championships. But she almost surrendered the gold in the final strides at Morton Stadium, Santry.

Kilkenny City Harrier Eileen O'Keeffe threw a new national record of 68.14 metres to claim hammer gold at the Woodies DIY Irish Track and Field Championships in Santry today.

AN Irish team including a number of medal prospects was unveiled at Trinity College Dublin yesterday ahead of next month’s World University Games in Izmir, Turkey.

SONIA O’SULLIVAN misses the Woodies DIY National senior track and field championships at Morton Stadium at the weekend.

BERNARD WILLIAMS, silver medallist in the 200m at last year’s Olympics and member of the USA gold medal winning 4 x 100m relay team in Atlanta will line up in the 100m at the BUPA Cork City Sports on July 2.

THE IRISH sprinters in action yesterday morning all made quick exits from the championships.

Dundrum-South-Dublin's David Gillick whizzed home to a new personal best tonight in Madrid, easily qualifying for tomorrow night's 400 metres European Indoor final.

IRELAND’S David Gillick may be the second fastest 400m runner competing, but he will have to reproduce his best form at the European indoor athletics championships this evening if he is to make it through to tomorrow’s final.

Athletics Ireland have added a further two athletes to the team for the forthcoming European Indoor Championships in Madrid on March 4-6.

A further five athletes have been added to the team for the forthcoming European Indoor Championships in Madrid on March 4-6, making it the largest Irish team ever for these championships.

Brendan Mooney

Brendan Mooney

MARK CARROLL highlighted his well-being in advance of the Olympic Games by running away with the 5,000m and then winning an exciting sprint for third place behind Alistair Cragg and young Colin Costello in the 1,500m at the Woodies DIY National Championships at Morton Stadium yesterday.

SONIA O’SULLIVAN has been travelling a familiar path along the Olympic route and this weekend could see her repeat her Sydney 2000 strategy should she double up over 800m and 1,500m at the Woodies DIY National Championships at Morton Stadium.

The Olympic Council of Ireland last night sensationally extended the Athens qualification deadline for Irish track and field athletes to 5pm on July 20, in the wake of Athletics Ireland's case pleaded on behalf of those close to the A standard.

110m hurdler Peter Coghlan has bettered the Olympic B standard seven times so far this season and Athletics Ireland High Performance chief Elaine Fitzgerald believes the Crusaders athlete "should be selected for Athens".

Whereas sprinters Gary Ryan and Rob Daly narrowly missed their respective Olympic qualification marks this weekend in Cork, American-based discus thrower Nick Sweeney did and is waiting on confirmation from the Olympic Council of Ireland of a plane ticket to his fourth Games in Athens.

GARY RYAN won the admiration of the fans at the BUPA Cork City Sports on Saturday and is now hoping he can get the nod from the OCI should he post the Olympic qualifying standard between now and the Athens Games.

The rain fell relentlessly at the BUPA Ireland Cork City Sports at the Mardyke today and washed away the final opportunity for Irish athletes to qualify for the Olympic Games in Athens.

GARY RYAN has always found The Mardyke something of a happy hunting ground for fast times but he will be looking for something extra today in his Olympic qualifying standard quest at the BUPA Cork City Sports.

GILLIAN O’SULLIVAN has skipped this weekend’s walking extravaganza in Krakow and, instead, is receiving treatment on the lower back problem that has been affecting her technique in recent times.

PAUL McKEE walked away from his seasonal debut in Cardiff at the weekend with mixed feelings after running a personal best for 100 metres and following up with a dismal run over 300m, the race he had targeted.

The disqualification of the United States 4x400m men’s relay team from this evening’s World Championship final has seen Ireland claim a much coveted bronze, the country’s first ever relay medal at any level.

Ireland’s 4x400m relay men’s squad have clocked a new national record at the World Indoor Championships in Budapest, inspiring hopes of a possible medal in the evening final, which sees them ranked fifth of the six starters.

DERVAL O’Rourke has overcome injury and will contest the 60m hurdles at this weekend’s All-Ireland Indoor championships at Belfast’s Odyssey.

IRISH sprinters had a sensational weekend at the British AAA indoor championships and world championships trials in Sheffield when they took eight of the 12 sprint medals.

IRELAND could have its smallest team in years at next year’s Olympic Games in Athens as the race for qualification gathers momentum.

JOHN CAPEL of the United States rescued American sprinting pride as he led home a 1-2 in the men’s 200 metres world final last night.

DERVAL O’ROURKE will be a notable absentee from today’s Woodies DIY national senior track and field championships at Morton Stadium, Santry.

SONIA O’SULLIVAN will face no fewer than 10 Africans when she launches her track season at the IAAF Super Grand Prix meeting in Lausanne this evening and one of the 20 strong field, Renee Kalmer from Germany, will follow her home for the BUPA Ireland Cork City Sports on Saturday afternoon.

FREDA DAVOREN, who re-launched her career by finishing third in the road mile at Balmoral a week ago, got back on track on Saturday by outsprinting Kelly McNiece to win the 800m at the AAI International Games in Navan.

SONIA O'SULLIVAN is all set to compete in the short course trial which will be run at Dunleer on March 16 in conjunction with Rás na hÉireann.

WORLD 5,000m record-holder Gillian O’Sullivan is hoping to extend her wonderful spell of form to 20km in the women’s final at the European championships in Munich.

MARK CARROLL had a new spring in his step when he went training at the UCC complex at the Mardyke yesterday morning having received confirmation from the AAI that he had been selected for the European championships.

WITH national champion and record-holder Paul McKee and runner-up Rob Daly opting for the 200m, bronze medallist Antoine Burke will carry Irish hopes in a star-studded 400m at the Dublin International Games tonight.

TOMAS COMAN, the national indoor 400m record holder, has abandoned hopes of competing in next month's European championships in Munich.