Ireland’s best young athletes are in Athlone this weekend while the nation’s best masters have been flying the flag in Daegu.

That’s the Greatest Of All Time. Whether it be Michael Phelps or Usain Bolt monopolising another Olympic Games, Novak Djokovic seeking a Grand Slam or Katie Taylor punching her way into legend, the sporting record books look set for another complete rewrite in 2016...

She won’t be there today. While her husband Rob powers it out this morning around the southern Slovakian spa town of Dudince in a time that should qualify him for next year’s Rio Olympics, Marian Heffernan will be at home in Douglas with the kids and expecting another one.

Athletics Ireland high performance manager Kevin Ankrom is hanging his hopes on Robert Heffernan winning a medal in the 50km race walk at the European Championships in Zurich.

As the clock approached 1am on Sunday morning celebrations were well under way back at "the local". Players, friends and well-wishers had packed the place out to the extent that one could not move without bumping into someone as they did.

North Korea has proposed talks on its plans to send athletes and cheerleaders to the Asian Games in South Korea.

British Olympic athlete Andy Turner has appealed for help on Twitter after his family home was burgled as he attended his mother’s funeral.

Mo Farah sealed his status as one of Britain’s best ever athletes tonight as he sprinted to victory in the 5,000m at the World Championships.

The Irish athletics community loved Robert Heffernan even before he struck gold yesterday. They feel he is one of them.

Rob Heffernan has joined the list of Irish sporting greats by claiming Ireland’s third ever gold medal at a World Athletics Championships, becoming only the fifth person in all to medal, by winning the men’s 50k walk in Moscow this morning.

Rob Heffernan has claimed Ireland's third ever gold medal at a World Athletics Championship, winning the men's 50k walk in Moscow this morning.

Ireland’s Brian Gregan, the sole Irish performer on day three at the World Track and Field Championships in Moscow, finished 7th in his 400m semi-final in 45.98.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Kelly-Ann Baptiste withdrew from the World Championships due to a “doping matter”, her national athletics federation has confirmed.

Usain Bolt racked up his sixth world title in Moscow to go alongside his half dozen Olympic golds – and then declared he was far from done with winning.

Usain Bolt crowned himself the new Czar of Russia as he lit up the World Track and Field Championships in Moscow last night by winning the 100m in 9.77 while Brian Gregan brought some welcome Irish cheer qualifying for the 400m semi-finals.

Usain Bolt lit up Moscow in the same manner as the real lightning bolts in the Russian skies as the mercurial Jamaican claimed his fourth global 100m title in the Luzhniki rain this evening.

A miserable opening day for Ireland at the World Athletics Championships in Moscow saw the three in action on the track miss out of qualifying for their respective semi-finals, while Irish interest in the women’s marathon ended after eight kilometres.

Mo Farah proved he is still the undisputed king of distance running by racing to 10,000 metres gold at the World Championships in Moscow tonight.

Edna Kiplagat made history in becoming the first athlete to win back-to-back women’s marathon world titles in retaining her crown in Moscow this afternoon.

Race-walking legend Olive Loughnane believes Robert Heffernan can use his fourth place finish at the London Olympics as a springboard to success at the upcoming World Track and Field Championships in Moscow.

Athletics’ world governing body, the IAAF, will hand four-year bans to those caught doping from 2015.

Usain Bolt had just completed his press conference after winning 200 metres gold at the London Olympics, his second title of the Games, and had risen from his seat when he paused for a moment before deciding he had one last message to impart.

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

Usain Bolt coasted to 100m victory at the Jamaican trials in 9.94 seconds but Asafa Powell could not book his place at the World Championships as he finished seventh.

Derval O’Rourke’s coach Terri Cahill is shocked at the news that European Indoor 60m hurdles champion Nevin Yanit of Turkey has been charged for failing multiple drug tests which could see the Cork woman boosted to the bronze medal as a result.

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

Great Britain’s sprint relay woes continued last night as another baton changeover mistake cost them a place in the 4x100 metres final at the Olympic Stadium.

Kenya’s David Rudisha has won gold in the men’s 800 metres in a new world record time of 1:40.91.

Oscar Pistorius was denied the chance to even run, never mind add to his World Championship relay medal, after South African team-mate Ofentse Mogawane crashed out during the second heat of the 4x400m today.

Deirdre Ryan will be hoping to repeat her performance at the world championships in Daegu when she competes in the first qualifying group of the women’s high jump this morning (9.30am).

She probably won’t go on to win a medal like Katie did, she may not even achieve her primary goal of running a national record and personal best, but yesterday Derval O’Rourke proved again what a champion she is.

The Olympic Games chewed 1500m runner Ciarán Ó Lionáird up and then spat him out in unceremonious fashion in London last night and left him questioning his future in the sport.

Ciarán Ó Lionáird will face a defining moment in his career when he lines up for the first round heats of the men’s 1500m at the Olympic Stadium tonight (8.25pm).

A proud Usain Bolt will carry the Jamaican flag at tonight’s opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics adamant he is fit for the real business of retaining his titles.

Usain Bolt can handle the fact he is no longer the fastest man on the Jamaican team, the team manager has insisted.

Joanne Cuddihy (Kilkenny City Harriers) broke camp from her training base in Spain to underscore her consistency and current good form at Cork City Sports at the CIT Stadium last night with third place in the women’s 400m.

Ciarán Ó Lionáird will be the star attraction for Cork in tonight’s 61st annual Cork City Sports with the Macroom native a strong contender in the iconic mile distance, writes Conor George of the Evening Echo.

Ciarán Ó Lionáird will turn to his home track and the support of the home crowd at the CIT Stadium in Bishopstown this evening (6.30pm) to launch the final phase of his Olympic build-up in the featured Cork City Sports Cork Airport Mile.

Two-time world 400 metres hurdles champion Kerron Clement was getting a less than favourable first impression of London this morning as the bus taking him to the Olympic Village struggled to find its destination.

There was a mix of joy, drama and heartbreak for the Irish athletes in action on the opening day of the European track and field championships in Helsinki yesterday.

Joanne Cuddihy will compete in the Olympic 400 metres, having become the 17th Irish track and field athlete to qualify for London 2012.

High jumper Deirdre Ryan has been a regular at major championships ever since competing in the World Youths in 1999.

It was last autumn, not long after he failed to make it through the 200m heats in the World Championships in Daegu, that Paul Hession, see picture below, realised something had to change.

Derval O'Rourke is through to tomorrow's semi-finals at the World Indoor Championships.