Ó Lionáird favourite for hometown win

Ciarán Ó Lionáird will be the star attraction for Cork in tonight’s 61st annual Cork City Sports with the Macroom native a strong contender in the iconic mile distance, writes Conor George of the Evening Echo.

The Cork City Sports returns to its traditional evening slot tonight (6.30pm) at CIT’s track with the Cork Airport Mile the star event, featuring 15 sub four-minute milers.

Ryan Gregson (Australia) 3:52.24, John Rankin (Cayman Islands) 3:54.24, Peter van der Westhuizen (South Africa) 3:54.90, and Ó Lionáird (Leevale), 3:54.72 indoors, head an entry that also includes Irishmen Paul Robinson, 3:55.99, and John Coghlan, 3:59.32.

It was at Cork City Sports last year that Ó Lionáird started his remarkable run of form that climaxed in his running 3:34.46 1,500m in Oodegem, Belgium, which qualified him for the World Championships in Daegu where he made the final, as well as the Olympic Games.

He ran a 3:54.76 mile at the USA Track and Field Indoor Classic but an achilles injury wrecked his World Indoor Championships.

Since then he has been receiving treatment and has not raced competitively since Istanbul on March 11.

Tonight will see his preparations for London step up a notch.

“Right now I’m as healthy as I’m going to be this year,” he said.

“I have really good momentum right now. I am training well and I am confident we can get it turned around. I’ll be working right up to the day of my heat in London. I’m really excited about the sessions over the past three weeks.”

Another hugely exciting race in tonight’s meet will be the women’s 400m which includes Irish record holder and Olympian Joanne Cuddihy (Kilkenny City Harriers), her sister Catriona, and two other members of the women’s 4x400m squad, Marian Heffernan and Jessie Barr, who will be up against Shericka Williams (Jamaica) who was silver medallist at the Olympic Games in Beijing where she also won a bronze in the 4x400m relay.

And Olympians Robert Heffernan and Olive Loughnane finalise their London 2012 preparations when they compete in the 3,000m walk.

Tonight’s programme starts at 6.30pm.