Heffernan hits out at claims Fernandez training Irish walkers

Robert Heffernan last night blasted reports that Olympic silver medallist and former world race walking champion, Paco Fernandez, was looking after the Irish race walkers at a training camp in Guadix ahead of the Olympic Games.

Fernandez served a short ban after he was implicated in the controversy when a consignment of performance enhancing drugs was posted to his former coach. The athlete himself was never found to have taken performance enhancing drugs.

Heffernan and the Spaniard were both coached by the legendary Olympian, Robert Korzienowski.

“I am friendly with Paco and we have been friends since 2004,” the Togher man said. “We see him around the training camp and he is always ready to give advice if I was to ask for it but to say he is looking after the Irish racewalkers here in Guadix is pure rubbish.

“We have Liam O’Reilly here looking after us and we don’t need any more. This is a distraction we don’t need.”