Two-time Irish marathon champion Sean Hehir says he is far more inspired by legendary Clare hard-man Seamus Power than the Kenyan Olympic champion who took part in the recent bid to break the two-hour marathon barrier.

A runner always thinks they can do better when they run a personal best but there wasn’t much more Sean Hehir could do after his breakthrough performance at the London Marathon last Sunday.

Defending national champion Sean Hehir believes tomorrow’s SSE Airticity Dublin Marathon showcases the capital at its best where record numbers of just under 20,000 will be led out by a strong East African representation.

For several of Ireland’s best marathoners, the door finally closed on Olympic qualification at the London Marathon yesterday, with the race to Rio de Janeiro now left in the hands of selectors ahead of next month’s deadline.

UL 0-12 Queen’s University 1-8

Sean Hehir and Pauline Curley stole the headlines winning the national titles at the SSE Airtricity Dublin marathon as Alemu Gemechu and Nataliya Lehonkova took overall glory ahead of a record entry of more than 15,000.

Eoin Callaghan goes into Monday’s record entry Dublin marathon on the cusp of realising a dream.

Thomas Barr is European athlete of the month for April, rewarded for his European-leading 400m hurdles time of 49.08 to win at the Tom Jones Classic in Gainesville, USA, on April 24.

A fifth victory in a row by Sergiu Ciobanu of Clonliffe Harriers in the men’s race in and a course record winning time of 54:20 by Maria McCambridge of Dundrum South Dublin Athletic Club were the highlight performances at yesterday’s annual Ballycotton 10 mile in East Cork — the 38th running of this Irish road classic.

Sergiu Ciobanu didn’t take long to understand the prestige and history of the Ballycotton ‘10’. Fresh off the plane from Moldova, Ciobanu quickly realised victory in East Cork would guarantee household status in local running circles.

It was bittersweet for the Irish on the final day of the European championships in Zurich as Paul Robinson and Ciarán Ó Lionáird had two conflicting reasons to rue the 1500m final while the men’s 4x400m relay ran another national record of 3:01.67 to place fifth.

A bittersweet final day for Ireland at the European Athletics Championships in Zurich saw fourth and fifth places achieved, with another national record taken – but so much more was possible.

Daniele Meucci has won the men's marathon for Italy at the European Athletics Championships ahead of Yared Shegumo of Poland and Aleksey Reunkov of Russia.

One of Ireland’s best long-distance runners has all but given up hope of competing at the European Championships in Zurich in two weeks’ time as his application for Irish citizenship has yet to come through.

Rob Heffernan will lead an Irish team of 25 athlete’s to Zurich for next months Europeans, which take place from August 12 – 17.

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.

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.

Having won this year’s All-Ireland senior and U21 hurling double, and with Sixmilebridge in Sunday’s Munster Club final, Clare hurling is on the crest of a wave.

The Africans might have been missing, but the atmosphere wasn’t lacking as Irish runners clinched a double victory in the Airtricity Dublin Marathon for the first time in 20 years.

Sean Hehir wore out two things in the run-up to his Dublin Marathon victory — his shoes and his mammy.

Seán Hehir and Maria McCambridge capitalised on the domestic entry at the 34th Airtricity Dublin Marathon yesterday to become the first joint Irish winners since 1993 in two exciting duels that ebbed and flowed as record numbers took to the streets for the classic distance.

Sean Hehir became the first Irish winner of the Dublin marathon in 20 years this morning.

Marathon legend Dick Hooper believes there is “a golden opportunity” for domestic winners of Monday’s Airtricity Dublin Marathon with no elite foreign entries toeing the line due to budgetary constraints.

“When the game was over, Loughnane slumped to the ground in frustration, and as he thumped his hurley off the turf, one could imagine his feelings and those of the many other Clare people in the ground. It was a sad setback for a hopeful team and one that may take some time to get over”

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.

Joe Sweeney of Dundrum South Dublin Athletic Club triumphed in yesterday’s Woodie’s DIY National Inter-County Cross Country Championships at Tattersalls in Meath.

Dundrum South Dublin pair Joe Sweeney and Ava Hutchinson claimed the titles at today’s Woodies DIY National Cross Country Championships in Ratoath Co.Meath.

Geoffrey Ndungu of Kenya retained his Dublin Marathon title yesterday, finishing in 2:11.09, well outside last year’s course record time of 2:08.33.

Kenya’s Geofrey Ndungu successfully reclaimed his Dublin Marathon title in a time of 2:11:09 this afternoon.

SPARE a thought for Conal Keaney today.

MOLDOVAN Sergiu Ciobanu yesterday produced a personal best of 49 minutes 37 seconds to win the Ballycotton 10 mile road race in East Cork.

CIARA MAGEEAN reaches a new level tonight in the New Balance Games at the Armory Track and Field Centre in New York.

Chartis Insurance Ireland Limited (Chartis Ireland) comes into being tomorrow.

Seán doesn’t believe in Grand National-type training, it’s all hurling, everything with the ball, and it paid off

Electronics company Toshiba have taken over from AIG as sponsors of Ireland’s biggest hurdle, to be run at Leopardstown on January 25.

A FEW weeks ago over 500 student teachers marched from the Department of Education to the Dáil to highlight three issues of enormous importance for the education system.

IT’S make-or-break time for the eight teams left in the Credit Union Harty Cup quarter-finals today.

THERE is much talk this week of the last NHL Final meeting of Kilkenny and Clare in 1995 and how the Banner went on to win the All-Ireland championship, their first in over eight decades.

AS the competitive hurling season finally kicks into gear for the 2005 season, it’s all systems go in the club semi-finals this weekend.

Diarmuid O’Flynn

"AH FECK IT, I'll have to hurl again next year now, I thought I'd be retiring after this year."