O'Sullivan leads Ireland

Double world record holder Gillian O’Sullivan leads the Athletics Ireland 20 kilometres team in the European Cup of Race Walking in Russia on May 19.

Unbeaten so far this season, O’Sullivan has already set a world indoor record in the national championships in Belfast in February and won two events of the IAAF Grand Prix Challenge, in Mexico and Milan.

Joining the Killarney star is the experienced fellow 2002 Sydney Olympian Olive Loughnane from Loughrea.

Cork’s Robert Heffernan leads the men’s 20km team of Colin Griffin (Ballinamore) and debutant David Kidd of St Laurence O’Tooles in Carlow.

But the team has been weakened by the forced withdrawal of national 50km record holder Jamie Costin due to a hip injury.

Heffernan recently finished seventh in his first 20km of the season in Milan and will be keen to improve after his unexpected eighth position at last summer’s European Championships in Munich.

The junior women’s team contains another up-and-coming walker in 16-year-old Ann Loughnane, who is already installed as one of the favourites for the World Youth Championships title in Canada in July.