Grand prix the chance of a lifetime for Leevale runner

CATHAL LOMBARD, with a qualifying standard at 10,000m for the world championships under his belt, has targeted the A standard for 5,000m for Paris and next year’s Olympic Games and it could come sooner than expected.

The 27-year-old Leevale runner has been handed the opportunity of a lifetime in the form of a place in the 5,000m at next weekend's Grand Prix II meeting in Heusden, Belgium, to further his ambitions.

The field could include Haile Gebrselassie, the two-time Olympic champion and four-time world champion over 10,000m, who has set four world records at 5,000m.