Athletics: O’Donovan eyes double gold before Villanova switch

Charlie O’Donovan goes into today’s Irish Life Health All-Ireland Schools Cross-Country Championships in Waterford with twin ambitions — an individual medal and a team prize for Coláiste Chríost Rí.

O’Donovan is one of Ireland’s most promising distance runners and he will take up a scholarship with the fabled Villanova University at the end of August.

Before that he has plenty of business to attend to, starting with today’s renewal of his rivalry with Bantry’s Darragh McElhinney, who edged him out at the Munsters on the same challenging course.