The wife of a former Irish international athlete took bronze, a Mayowoman running for Australia was a top-20 finisher, and a Corkwoman took 33rd spot at the World Athletics Championship marathon event in London today.

“It’s my second-fastest time ever, and running that in a heat at eleven o’clock in the morning is just pretty incredible.”

“To work so hard for something and potentially have it cruelly taken away from me is even harder to take knowing how hard the past two years have been.”

This is despite already putting the event back to its latest ever date to avoid Qatar's brutal September heat.

Ireland's Joe Ward has secured his place at next year's Olympics after years of trying.

European Games medallist Sean McComb was left disappointed after losing a split decision.

Kenyans Joyce Zakary and Koki Manunga have become the first athletes to fail drugs tests at the World Championships in Beijing.

A shortened Day Four of the World Athletics Championships in Beijing saw David Rudisha elevated to the mantle of 800m champion once more, as a couple of surprise winners were crowned elsewhere.

You celebrate after you are over the line, never before.

Alex Wright’s first major international championship for Ireland ended early as he was disqualified just past the halfway mark in the men’s 20k walk at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing.

Paul Brady cemented his legacy as the greatest handball player the sport has seen with an unprecedented fifth successive world title last night in Calgary, Canada – and he revealed afterwards he was signing off from the Worlds after his finest hour.

“The other swimmers are often surprised, they ask me my name and how old I am and then they are like, ’Are you swimming here?’"

August’s World Championships in Beijing may be the summer priority but Mark English has also earmarked the Monaco Diamond League meet in mid-July for a crack at David Matthews’ 20-year old Irish 800m record.

One of the country’s brightest young talents, Ryan Mullen, has set himself some lofty goals this year with a gold medal in the World Championships in September top of his priority list.