Paul Pollock produced a mature performance to finish 21st and second fastest European in a new personal best of 2:16:42 in the marathon at the World Track and Field Championship in Moscow on Saturday.

Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko has claimed the controversy over the country’s anti-gay law is “an invented problem” by Western mass media.

Robert Heffernan embarks on the first leg of an Olympic double today when he lines up for the men’s 20k walk before embarking on a new Olympic experience in the 50k walk next Saturday.

An injury to Olympic 400m champion LaShawn Merritt was the big talking point of the Diamond League meeting in Monaco last night.

The United States have clinched four golds on the final day of the World Indoor Athletics Championships, a fifth was removed when the men’s 4x400m relay team was stripped of gold.

Leevale’s Ciarán Ó Lionaird and Derval O’Rourke spearhead Ireland’s hopes of medals at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey today knowing they will have to be in top form to compete with the best.

ON a night that saw Yelena Isinbayeva bounce back from the disaster of the world championships to set a new world record in the pole vault, Ireland’s David Gillick improved on his Berlin placing to finish fourth in the men’s 400m and Derval O’Rourke finished seventh in the 100m hurdles at the Golden League meeting in Zurich.

AFTER their Berlin adventures, David Gillick and Derval O’Rourke make a quick return to big-time athletics at the Weltklasse in Zurich, the penultimate Golden League meet, tonight.

Usain Bolt overcame a poor start to claim an easy victory in the 100m at the AF Golden League meeting in Zurich despite clearly being under the weather.

Yelena Isinbayeva was ecstatic after setting her 22nd world pole vault record in last night’s IAAF Golden League meeting in Rome.

PAUL HESSION faces three of the top four from the world championships in the men’s 200m at the Van Damme Memorial Golden League meeting in Brussels this evening, with Tyson Gay the only missing medallist.

Seven-times world Formula One champion Michael Schumacher was awarded Spain’s prestigious Prince of Asturias award for sports today for his dazzling career in racing.

Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer was named Sportsman of the Year at the Laureus World Sports awards in Barcelona, Spain last night - for a third year running.

JEREMY WARINER of the United States won the men’s 400 metres title at the world athletics championships in Helsinki last night.

Hicham El Guerrouj banished his demons as he finally won the Olympic 1,500metres gold medal in Athens last night.

VICTORIES by four genuine Olympic medal hopefuls helped atone for a bitterly disappointing display by Britain’s 100 metres sprinters in the Norwich Union London Grand Prix at a sweltering Crystal Palace last night.

Athens gold medal favourite Allen Johnson just scraped into the USA team at the Olympic Trials in Sacramento.

STACY DRAGILA was a woman apart at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, when she stormed to victory in the inaugural pole vault competition.