O’Sullivan trying to shake off back injury

GILLIAN O’SULLIVAN has skipped this weekend’s walking extravaganza in Krakow and, instead, is receiving treatment on the lower back problem that has been affecting her technique in recent times.

The world silver medallist was in Limerick yesterday being treated by Johnson McEvoy who will be accompanying the Irish team to Athens in August.

“It’s hard to tell at the moment but I feel it is improving slowly,” she said admitting that it came as a bit of a shock to the system. “You don’t expect to get injured at this time.”

While it did not cause her any pain the tightness in her lower back has been affecting her technique and before she reached the 5k mark in Sunday’s Grand Prix race in La Coruna she had already picked up two yellow cards.

“Obviously I have not done much walking on it since but hopefully after the weekend I will get back training again and I will know if it has improved then,” she said.

Meanwhile her Olympic team mates, Robert Heffernan, Olive Loughnane and Jamie Costin will all be in action in Krakow at the weekend when Heffernan will be chasing the national record for 10k which he holds at 38:47.66. Last Saturday he went to within three tenths of a second of his 20k record to indicate that he is well on track for his Olympic assignment.

Sonia O’Sullivan continues her Olympic preparations this evening in Watford where she competes in the 1,500m at the British Milers Club meet and she will be joined by Roisin McGettigan who is also looking for a fast time.

Another 1,500m runner, Freda Davoren (UCC), will chase a fast time in Langen tomorrow evening when she will be joined by sprinters Gary Ryan and Paul Hession at the meet.

Una English may be out of the limelight of late but a whole new approach has rekindled her career and she will set out in pursuit of an Olympic qualifying standard when she lines up for the 5,000m in Bergen tonight. She will be joined by Maria McCambridge who will be bidding to transfer her indoor 3,000m performances on to the outdoor track.

Two members of the 400m squad will be in action over the weekend as well. David McCarthy competes in Spain on Sunday while Rob Daly has an engagement in Geneva.

Paul Brizzel is among the entries for both the 100m and 200m in Bedford over the weekend and that will provide him with an opportunity to get over his disappointment in Loughborough.

Ciara Sheehy will be hoping to build on her Loughborough performance when she goes in the 200m at the Golden Spike Meeting in Holland tomorrow. While the focus will be on Alistair Cragg at the NCAA championships in Austin, Texas, over the weekend when he will be competing for the last time for Arkansas, Nicky Sweeney will also be looking for a share of the limelight when he competes in the discus competition at Moffet Field, California. His comeback performance of 59 metres was good enough to make him a lively contender for a place on the Irish team for another Olympics.

The final 5-mile race in the Ballyhoura Athletics Series takes place tonight at Charleville.

The race commences at 8pm, with the walk getting underway at 7.30pm.