Olive steps it up in Algarve

WORLD SILVER medallist, Olive Loughnane, faces her first big assignment of the year when she lines up for the European Cup Race Walking in Olhão on the Algarve on Saturday.

It will be the third outing of the year for the Cork-based Galway woman but it is by far the most important, with the reigning Olympic champion, Olga Kaniskina (Russia), the only big name missing from an exceptionally strong field.

In March, Loughnane posted her qualifying standard for London 2012 in Dudince, Slovakia when she came off her training block to win the women’s 20k walk in 92:40 — doing enough to win without being spectacular.