Loughnane gets back into action in Milan

OLIVE LOUGHNANE, Robert Heffernan and Jamie Costin will have Barcelona on their minds when they line up for their respective events at the Coppa Città di Sesto San Giovanni near Milan, the Italian leg of the IAAF Race Walking Challenge today.

It will be a day of mixed emotions for all three. Olive Loughnane had to pull out of her opening race of the season when she fell and injured her knee eight kilometres into the first leg of the series in Rio Maior, Portugal.

The world championship silver medallist had gone there with high hopes of launching her European championships campaign in style but the signs were already ominous before she toed the line. Her knee flared up 48 hours earlier and the fall compounded the problem.