It was always going to be a tough ask for the five Irish athletes to progress from their respective heats on day one of the World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland yesterday, and so it proved, with none of the quintet able to make it to a final.

It will be a tough first day of competition for the five Irish athletes competing at the world indoor championships in Poland today but they all have their personal goals to keep them on track.

Mark English has recovered from a respiratory tract infection and is looking forward to leading a small Irish team of to the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland next week (March 7-9).

Derval O’Rourke and Ciarán Ó Lionáird have expressed disappointment at the level of funding they are set to receive in 2014.

Sarah Lavin’s stock continued to rise yesterday at the British Athletics Indoor championships in Sheffield with a bronze medal over the 60m hurdles in 8.25 moving her to second on the Irish all-time record list.

Athletics Ireland chairman of High Performance Ray Flynn described Robert Heffernan’s victory in the 50km race walk as the “best day of my athletics life” and that the main message of the Corkman’s performance was to “the athletes themselves.”

Rose-Anne Galligan's spectacular return to top-class athletics this year didn't translate into qualification for the semi-finals of the 800m at the World Championships in Moscow.

Athletics Ireland have announced a hugely inexperienced squad for the upcoming World Championships.

“I’m not finishing fourth,” was Fionnuala Britton’s mantra in the last three laps of the 3,000m final as the teak tough Wicklow woman won a fighting bronze medal yesterday.

Derval O’Rourke was left holding back the tears after just missing out on a medal in the 60m hurdles final but even that heartbreak couldn’t take away from an exceptional day’s work by the Irish team on day one of the European indoors in Gothenburg

Sonia O’Sullivan believes success “should be expected” by Irish athletes at the European Indoor Championships, which begin this morning in Gothenburg.

A strong team of 11 has named to represent Ireland at the European Indoor Athletics Championships, which get underway in Gothenburg on Friday.

David Gillick got his bid for the European 400 metres title off to a solid start in Barcelona yesterday.

JASON SMYTH may have set three records in Barcelona last evening when he became the first Paralympic athlete to compete at the European Championships, becoming the first Irishman to make the semi-finals of the 100m and it is unlikely any other athlete could have spent so much time in the mixed zone doing media interviews.

SPEEDSTERS Derval O’Rourke and Paul Hession head up a strong Irish side to travel to Budapest for the second European Team Championships on June 19-20.

THE surprise inclusion of a men’s 4 x 400m relay team alongside medal hopefuls, David Gillick and Derval O’Rourke, on the Irish team for the world indoor championships in Doha (March 12, 13, 14) is aimed at the future and, in particular, this year’s European outdoor championships in Barcelona, according to team manager Patsy McGonagle.

Fionnuala Britton took silver today for Ireland in the Under 23 event at the Spar European Cross Country Championships in Legnano, Italy.

Sir Gerard, joint-favourite for the totesport Cambridgeshire, is set to bypass the Newmarket showpiece after suffering a minor setback.

James Fanshawe’s promising three-year-old Sir Gerard could bid for glory in Saturday’s £100,000 (€147,000) John Smith’s Stakes at Newbury after being sold to Sheikh Mohammed.