Onwards and upwards for in-form Ó Lionáird

CIARÁN Ó LIONÁIRD (Leevale), fresh from his sensational 1,500m run in Oordegem, Belgium, will contest the 800m at this weekend’s Woodies DIY national senior championships at Morton Stadium, Santry.

The Florida State graduate was to compete against defending champion, Alistair Cragg, in the 5,000m but has changed his mind following his 3:34.46 performance which gave him his “A” standard for the upcoming world championships in Daegu and next year’s Olympic Games.

After running big personal bests for 10,000 and 5,000m in the US while finishing his scholarship, he followed up with a pb for 3,000m and a sub four minute mile when he returned home. However, he admitted that knocking almost six seconds off his previous best for 1,500m came as a surprise.