O’Rourke bids for useful Odyssey

The Woodies DIY Irish indoor championships will be a vital element of Derval O’Rourke’s build-up to next month’s world indoors according to her coach, Seán Cahill.

The 2006 world indoor 60m hurdles champion competed in Vienna and Linz last week, recording times of 8.16 and 8.18 seconds when finishing behind Yvette Lewis and LoLo Jones respectively.

Cahill said: “She was pretty rusty in both races but maybe she was just trying to run too fast too quickly. We have been working on a number of things and we just need to put it all together. That’s why the championships in Belfast at the weekend is a vital part of her build-up to the worlds.

“She could have raced in Europe this weekend but the championships were always a priority for her and, from our point of view, it gives her an opportunity to cement what we have been doing in training in a more relaxed atmosphere. She will definitely run in Europe next week but we just need to get it right this weekend and I think then she will have a big run.”

The Odyssey track in Belfast is quick and it harbours happy memories for the Leevale athlete who highlighted her world championship potential there back 2006. That season she set no fewer than five national records over the distance before winning her world title in Moscow in 7.84 seconds which still stands as the record.

Marian Heffernan (Togher AC), a driving force behind Ireland’s bid to have a women’s 4 x 400m relay team for the London Olympics, competes in both the 60m and 200m at the weekend. She is the champion at 400m but has dropped back to the shorter distances to improve her start.

Her husband, racewalking star, Robert Heffernan, bids for a record 14th indoor title in Belfast. He set a national record (18:51.46) at the Odyssey in 2008 and, a couple of months later, set a new Irish 20k record (79:22) to become the first Irishman to break the 80 minute barrier.

Heffernan, back in Ireland after winter training in Australia, is relishing a return to action. “Over the next two weeks I will be competing over 5k indoors in Belfast and then 30k outdoors in Claremorris. I’ve had a long spell of uninterrupted training both in Australia and at home. I have qualified for the Olympics but there are a number athletes competing for the other two spots and the younger fellows are threatening to take me down. I had a message from Brendan Boyce last week telling me I’m too old and my time is up so it is time for me to put them back in their box!”