Time for Irish athletics to feel the need for speed

Here’s a prediction: the next great Irish athlete, the one we take a hiatus from work to watch challenge for an Olympic medal, will not be a distance runner.

Nor will it be a thrower, a jumper, or a race walker, and you can forget about it being a marathoner.

Because since the days of Sonia, Catherina, Treacy and Coghlan, things have changed utterly in Irish athletics, and a glance through recent results tells you where the talent pipeline is now flowing.