Sixth place ensures heroic Heffernan place at Olympics

ROBERT HEFFERNAN became the 10th Irish athlete to qualify for the Athens Olympics when finishing 6th in the 20km Walk at the IAAF Grand Prix Challenge in Mexico yesterday.

The Corkman, who missed most of the 2003 season through injury, finished in 1.22.20, behind world record holder Jefferson Perez of Ecuador, who won in 1.19.40. Meanwhile, Gillian O’Sullivan got her Olympic year off to a poor start by placing fourth in the IAAF Race Walking Challenge in Tijuana over the weekend, where Italy’s Elisa Riguado bettered her previous best time for 20k by more than a minute.

Riguado, 23, won in 1:28:50 from Spain’s Olympic bronze medallist Maria Vasco (1:29:06) and Portugal’s Susana Feitor (1:29:12). O’Sullivan finished fourth in 1:29.54, with team-mate Olive Loughnane finishing fifth in 1:30:46.