Your one-stop guide to all the Olympic action featuring Irish athletes.

Three years ago, Ciara Mageean was unable to run, beset with injuries and staring down the barrel of career-threatening surgery.

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.

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.

Thomas Barr is targeting a final berth in the 400m hurdles at his maiden World Athletics Championships in Beijing at the end of this month.

Rob Heffernan walked away from the Morton Stadium frustrated as he saw a mid-afternoon red card in the men’s 10,000 metres walk.

Ireland are well positioned in fifth place after the opening day of the European Athletics Team Championships (1st League) in Heraklion, Greece, as they bid for promotion to the Super League for 2016.

Declan Murray is looking forward to taking on Mark English in the men’s 800m at the GloHealth National Indoor Championships in Athlone this weekend and make amends for a questionable lane infringement call at the Athlone International last Wednesday. 

Fionnuala Britton had an encouraging second place at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country in challenging conditions at Holyrood Park on Saturday.

ATHLETICS: Fionnuala Britton opens her 2015 competition schedule at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country as part of Team Europe in Holyrood Park today.

A surprise, but welcome, women’s team bronze medal brightened up a mixed day of Irish performances in Borovets as Fionnuala Britton battled to a sixth place finish at the European Cross Country Championships yesterday.

Fionnuala Britton led Ireland women’s team to bronze at today’s European cross country championships in Samokova, Bulgaria.

Fionnuala Britton will earn her 31st international cap at next month’s European cross country championships in Bulgaria.

Fionnuala Britton raced to her second consecutive Glo Health Inter-Counties cross-country title and declared she was ready for a third European cross country title.

With a splash of purple in her hair, Fionnuala Britton cut a new look for the new year and battled to an encouraging second place at the picturesque Holyrood Park for the Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country on Saturday.

A gutsy performance from Fionnuala Britton saw her finish just outside the medals in fourth position at the European Cross Country Championships this afternoon.

By Will Downing

Fionnuala Britton triumphed in convincing fashion at the Woodie’s DIY National Inter-County Cross-Country championships at Santry Demesne yesterday, while Paul Pollock dominated the men’s race and declared himself a contender for the European championships in December.

Fionnuala Britton declared herself happy with her competitive return to action at the Gerry Farnan cross country festival yesterday as she cruised to victory over three miles in 15:45 in the Phoenix Park.

The historic Irish women’s European cross country winning team are unlikely to compete at the World Championships in Poland in March according to Athletics Ireland High Performance Director Kevin Ankrom.

Fionnuala Britton was already looking to the future after yesterday’s sensational performance at the European Cross-Country Championships in snowy Budapest.

Fionnuala Britton has created history by becoming the first ever woman to retain the European cross country title and has led Ireland to the team gold.

BRIAN GREGAN took his career to anew level with asilver medal in the men’s 400m at the European U23 championships with a new personal best time of 46.12 secs in Ostrava on Saturday.

MARY CULLEN underscored her medal potential, while Andrew Led with signalled his intentions for next month’s SPAR European Cross-Country Championships with sweeping victories in the Woodies DIY National Inter-Counties cross-country championships held over Kilbeggan Racecourse yesterday.

MARK HANRAHAN (Leevale) will be targeting a place on the Irish team for the SPAR European cross-country championships when he lines up in defence of his Cork senior crown at Clonakilty Showgrounds on Sunday.

DEIRDRE BYRNE came within one second of creating the first major upset of the year in athletics when she almost pipped one of Britain’s great medal hopes for the 2012 Olympics, Stephanie Twell, for the women’s title at the IAAF International Cross-Country challenge at the Greenmount Campus, in Antrim.

MARY CULLEN managed to win back some pride for Ireland with a fine fourth place in the senior women’s race at the SPAR European Cross-Country Championships in Brussels yesterday as Martin Fagan could only watch from his knees as his medal hopes faded after a crashing fall in the senior men’s race.

MARK CARROLL, who held national records from 3,000m to 10,000m and represented Ireland on the track at every level up to and including two Olympic Games, will make a belated European cross-country championship debut in Brussels next month.

ALAN McCORMACK gave another sensational performance in yesterday’s Woodies DIY national inter-counties cross-country championships at Tramore Racecourse when leading Dublin to the team honours.

ALISTAIR CRAGG joins the international stars at Cork City Sports at The Mardyke tomorrow week.