Heffernan gets the vote to lead athletics team

Robert Heffernan will captain the Irish athletics team at London 2012 it was confirmed yesterday.

“There was a vote and all the athletes present voted for Robert,” said team manager Patsy McGonagle.

The Corkman is the most experienced member of the team along with race walking team mate, Olive Loughnane, also based in Cork.

Both of them have competed in three Olympics with Beijing the most successful when Olive Loughnane finished seventh in the 20k walk, setting a new personal best at 1:27:45 which was inside the Olympic record at the time.

Heffernan also achieved his best performance in Beijing where he finished eighth but this time around he will double up at 20k and 50k — a double he also completed at the European championships in Barcelona two years ago when he was fourth in both events.

The Irish athletes began to switch camps yesterday when the team manager moved from the holding camp to base himself in the Athletes’ Village.

Alister Cragg, who runs in the 5,000m, and Brian Kenneally, who competes in the men’s marathon, were out together for a long run yesterday morning while the Cuddihy sisters, Joanne and Catriona, arrived at the Village yesterday.

Joanne Cuddihy will be the first Irish athlete on the track when she competes in the first round of the women’s 400m in the Olympic Stadium on Saturday morning (10am).