Heffernan Odyssey continues with ticket for Paris

MARIAN HEFFERNAN has been added to the Irish team for next week’s European indoor championships in Paris.

The Cork woman, wife of race walking star Robert Heffernan, has been rewarded for her consistent form and her performance two years ago when she made the semi-final of the women’s 400m at the European championships in Turin.

“She has a very strong outdoor standard from 2010,” team manager Patsy McGonagle pointed out. “As well as that she is a key member of what is a very good women’s 4x400m relay team that has qualified for this year’s world championships.”

Last weekend she won the 400m at the Woodie’s DIY Irish indoor championships at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast in a smart 54 secs. That was an excellent time as the track there is not particularly fast.

Her husband Robert, who retained his 5,000m walk title in the Odyssey, is training with the walking group in Johannesburg.

The action turns to the country tomorrow with the Woodie’s DIY national inter-club cross-country championships taking place at Santry (1pm), where Joe Sweeney (DSD) will be favourite to add that title to December’s inter-counties crown.

Two weeks ago he won a 30k road race in Holland, with four minutes to spare over the runner-up, and that is part of an eventual move up to the marathon – a plan carefully devised by his coach, Jerry Kiernan.

After a long lay-off, Sweeney has made a remarkable return to competitive athletics and is likely to take another step forward by winning the inter-clubs title.

Defending champion Mark Kenneally (Clonliffe Harriers) will not be competing as having recovered from back problems he is now preparing for a marathon in April.

Michael Mulhaire (North Laois) would be another favourite based on his showing in the European cross-country championships, where he was part of the winning U23 team, but he has come down with tonsillitis and a chest infection.

Unless Mark Christie shows up, the race should be between Dubliners Sweeney, Brendan O’Neill and Alan McCormack, with the winner guaranteed a trip to the world cross-country championships in Spain next month.

Fionnuala Britton (Sli Chualann) will be missing from the women’s race as is she in Spain training for the world cross-country championships, while Mary Cullen (North Sligo) is preparing for the European indoors.

With Deirdre Byrne out with a stress fracture and Hazel Murphy also absent, Lizzie Lee could provide Leevale with their first winner since Fionnuala Morrish in the late 1970s. She has followed Fionnuala Britton home in her most recent cross-country races and was in flying form in last weekend’s Carrigaline road race.