O’Rourke confirms Valencia exit after poor Finland run

DERVAL O’ROURKE finally confirmed that she won’t be defending her 60m hurdles title at the World Championships in Valencia next week after a disappointing run in Tampere.

Since her run in Leipzig a couple of weeks ago it was generally accepted that she would not go to Valencia. But she decided to give it one last attempt in Finland where she ran 8.10secs — was way outside what she had expected — placing her 31st in the world.

While she is bitterly disappointed about not being in a position to defend her title in Valencia she will now set about preparing for the Olympics.