'Great opportunity' for Irish Olympic hopefuls at Golden Spike meet in Ostrava

For Nadia Power and Mark English, it’s a chance to consolidate their position on the world rankings - for others, it’s a chance to catapult into contention for a place on the plane

Ireland's Mark English: In good standing at 33rd in the world - but can consolidate his place Wednesday evening. Picture: INPHO/Morgan Treacy

For a horde of Irish Olympic hopefuls, the race to Tokyo starts here. Six of them have made their way to Ostrava, Czech Republic, for the 60th edition of the famed Golden Spike meeting Wednesday evening, which is live on TG4 from 5pm.

For Nadia Power and Mark English, it’s a chance to consolidate their position on the world rankings to secure their place in Tokyo over 800m. For others, like Paul Robinson, Luke McCann, Seán Tobin and John Fitzsimons, it’s a chance to catapult into contention for a place on the plane.