Top-five finishes for returning Irish duo in Belfast

DEIRDRE BYRNE and Linda Byrne, who were among Ireland’s top finishers at the European cross-country championships in Spain, returned to action in the muddy Belfast international at the Stormont Estate on Saturday where they finished third and fifth, respectively.

The world 5000m bronze medallist, Moses Kipsiro, became the third man to successfully defend the title with a blistering performance with Irish champion, Gary Murray, seventh.

The women’s race was a contest between the British and Irish athletes following the withdrawal of Kenya’s world junior champion, Linet Masai, who could not travel because of the ongoing crisis in her homeland.