Davoren waits for chance to test herself at 1,500m

FREDA DAVOREN (UCC AC) is still waiting for the race that will tell her exactly where she stands as regards 1,500m running.

Since finishing third in the road mile in Scotland, her only race was over 800m at the AAI Games in Navan.

"There is a race for me in Russia next weekend if I can get a visa sorted out," she said yesterday. "Failing that it will be either the Northern Ireland championships or the Munster championships.

"Next week is OK because I go to Riga for two races but right now I feel I am in pretty good shape and I need a race.

"I had been hoping to get a race before now but it all fell through. My aim is the qualifying standard for the world championships but I would probably need to get into a Grand Prix race for that."

She is also looking to the BUPA Ireland Cork City Sports on July 5 when the presence of Sonia O'Sullivan and some other leading athletes should ensure a fast race.

Her training partner, Maura Prendeville, finished second to surprise winner Anne Marie Larkin in the Milers' Club 800m at Tullamore on Saturday to highlight her return to form.

She and Davoren missed all of last season through injury and she had surgery on a knee.

After that they went to train in New Zealand over the winter and it has worked wonders.

Should both line up for the Munster championships at the CIT Track in Bishopstown on Sunday they would provide added dimension to what promises to be an exciting meet.

After the weekend the teams for the European Cup will be selected while other athletes are chasing qualifying standards for the European Junior and U-23 championships.

Gary Ryan could be a big attraction at the Munster championships where sprinters Brian Murphy, a UCC scholarship student, and Paddy O'Gorman (Leevale) will be chasing qualifying standards for the European U-23 championships.

The presence of Gary Ryan would help their cause but he is, as yet, undecided. He won a 200m in Rhede the weekend before last in 21 seconds and last weekend he ran 10.50 for 100m in Dessau.

"Whether I go to the Munster championships or notx will depend on how training goes this week," he said.

"Right now I am thinking of a low key start to the year. I need the qualifying standard for the World Championships in Paris.

"That's 20.59 seconds and I will have to run faster than ever before to achieve it so I will have to work out a happy medium get the standard and then be in the shape to do myself justice in Paris."

Eugene Farrell (DSD), now working in Cork, is a likely starter for the 400m at the Munster championships.

"With so many looking for various standards and the teams for the European Cup about to be selected this could be quite a meeting," National Junior Coach John Sheehan said.

Ailish McSweeney (Leevale) won the 200m at the AAI International Games in Navan and was edged out in a desperately close finish to the 100m.

On Sunday she had a double at the Cork County Championships and should repeat that at the same venue next weekend.

Tomas Coman, who won his first race in 18 months to take the 400m title at the Irish Universities Championships, bids to build on that when he travels to Cottbus this week.

The Munster championships start at 11am with the walks, women's pole vault and men's hammer. The track programme starts at 12.30