Dunleer date for Sonia

SONIA O'SULLIVAN is all set to compete in the short course trial which will be run at Dunleer on March 16 in conjunction with Rás na hÉireann.

Sonia had planned to compete at the world indoor championships in Birmingham that weekend. However, she did not really get her training under way until January as it took her a long time to recover from the New York City Marathon.

Now she will go into the national inter-club short course cross-country championship race as the defending champion. She was returning after giving birth to her second daughter, Sophie, when she won the title at ALSAA last year.

Confirmation that she will compete in Ras na hÉireann comes as a huge boost to the organisers, and Charlie Breagy in particular. Sonia stated yesterday that she was coming as a tribute also to one of the main organisers, Larry McGuill, who has just recovered from illness.

Meanwhile, Gary Ryan missed the qualifying standard for the world championships by just one hundredth of a second when he retained his 200m title at the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow last weekend.

However, Ryan admitted yesterday that the world championships were not on his mind at all going into that race. "To be honest I just went over there to get three runs under my belt and practice a few things," he said. "I ended up running 21.16 which exceeded all my expectations."

Now a world championship qualifying standard is the target, and where better than Birmingham - where the championships take place in a month's time - to go for it.

"Birmingham is a quick track - the quickest there is - so I would hope to do it at the meet there the weekend after next," said Ryan.

On his last visit to Birmingham a couple of weeks ago Ryan watched from behind as Paul Brizzell claimed his old national indoor record with a 21.06 run.

But he had the satisfaction of finishing second in 21.30 secs - again surprising himself. "I had run the 400m beforehand and the 200m was never in my plans," he said. "But to go out there and run 21.30 after a 400m was a very pleasant surprise."

Over the coming weekend he will be chasing the national title at the indoor championships in the Odyssey Centre in Belfast.

But the field is the strongest ever for a 200m, featuring Paul Brizzell, who has obviously qualified for the world indoor championships, Paul McKee, who has qualified at 400m, another 400m specialist, Rob Daly, along with Mark Howard and Darren Campbell.

"It is going to be pretty tough," admitted Ryan. "But it is always tough. Right now I am just happy to be able to compete at this level.

"I have had so much misfortune with illness and injury in the past that I am happy that everything is all right. Everything is a bonus for me at this stage especially when you have been down and it does not look like you are going to be able to get back. The fact that I can run is a relief in itself.

"Last year was a good one for me under the circumstances but I did not run as fast as I could have. It was like taking baby steps. Physically I was all right but mentally I had to build my confidence back up. My confidence was totally wrecked. "But I have had the best winter's training I have ever done and I know I can progress from here and get back to running pb's."

Ryan last ran the world indoor championships in Paris in 1997.