McKiernan on course to meet Sonia at Lausanne

WITH Catherina McKiernan set to compete in the Reebok Challenge in Belfast on Saturday week the prospects of having herself and Sonia O'Sullivan lining up together for the world cross-country championships in Lausanne next March are getting more exciting.

The four-time silver medallist made a welcome return to competitive running in Belgium last month and there was general satisfaction with her performance and, if that was a low key return, she will be the star attraction in Belfast.

Sonia O'Sullivan plans some track races in Australia over the coming weeks. Since returning to Melbourne after the New York Marathon she has taken part in a fun run.

According to AAI International Secretary Liam Hennessy, both will be pre-selected for the world championships. They last competed together in Turin in 1997 when their top 10 placings helped Ireland to the bronze medals for the first time.

The following year Sonia O'Sullivan became the first athlete to win both the long and short course races on the same weekend in Marrakech.

This year, three months after giving birth to Sophie, she bounced back to finish seventh in the world championships in Leopardstown where the Irish women crowned a memorable weekend for Irish sport by winning the bronze medals in the team contest for the second time.

The AAI have pre-selected Sonia O'Sullivan for the 2003 world indoor championships which take place in Birmingham from March 14 to 16.

She has expressed preference for the 3,000m and it appears as if she will be concentrating on what is considered to be her best event. Meanwhile, it's back to cross-country running next weekend and Ireland will be well represented at the Great North Cross-Country Run at Newcastle's Exhibition Park.

For the first time the Irish men's team, comprised of Seamus Power (Kilmurry/Ibrickane), Fiachra Lombard (Leevale), Robert Connolly (DSD) and Mark Kenneally (Raheny Shamrock) will compete over the short course (4,000m).

The teak-tough Power woke up yesterday morning with a head cold and a sore throat but expects to be fully fit for the weekend. He will not travel to Belfast a week later but instead will concentrate on getting in a block of training in preparation for the national championships.

"A number of the lads are going abroad to training camps and I would like to go somewhere myself just to round off the training," he said. Anne Keenan-Buckley (North Laois), Maria McCambridge (DSD) and Pauline Curley (Tullamore Harriers) will comprise the women's team for a race that will mark the return of Paula Radcliffe to cross-country running after her spectacular performances in the marathons in London and Chicago.

She faces a tough assignment on Saturday when she renews rivalry with the two-time Olympic 10,000m champion, Derartu Tulu, and Gete Wami.

With the exception of 1998 when Sonia O'Sullivan won the double in Marrakech, Tulu, Wami and Radcliffe have shared the world titles every year since 1994.

They will be joined by Edith Masai, who won the short course race in Leopardstown Several athletes have already been to warm weather training camps and race walkers Robert Herffernan and Jamie Costin and cross-country runners Gareth Turnbull and Keith Kelly, still recuperating from injury, are with Mark Carroll in Florida. Martin McCarthy is in South Africa and Noel Berkeley is in Australia.

Those back from warm weather training camps will have an opportunity to obtain some top class competition in Nenagh on Sunday when the AAI indoor games will be staged.

Athletes will have an opportunity to stake claims for places on the teams for next month's meeting in Wales.

Road running enthusiasts will be catered for in Bandon tomorrow where the annual New Year's Day showpiece gets under way at 2.30pm over a new flat course.