A key test, passed with flying colours. For a golden generation of young athletes, Saturday’s National Junior and U-23 Championships proved a low-key but high-intensity examination of their fitness as they prepare to take their talents to a bigger stage.

Darragh McElhinney produced an outstanding performance to smash the Irish U20 5000m record in Oordegem, Belgium on Saturday, the Glengariff 18-year-old becoming the first ever Irish junior to break 14 minutes with his clocking of 13:54.10.

Two new deaths linked to a mysterious bacterial outbreak in Europe blamed on tainted vegetables were reported today, including the first outside Germany, as the number of people falling ill continued to rise.