Athletics Preview: Lavin chasing down Derval O'Rourke's 60m hurdle record

Mark Smyth will start favourite for the men’s 200m, the Raheny athlete – who set the national record of 20.64 last year – powering to the Irish Universities title last weekend in 21.08.

ATHLETICS PREVIEW: Sarah Lavin will be the star attraction at this weekend’s 123.ie National Indoor Athletics Championships as she tries to edge closer to Derval O’Rourke’s Irish 60m hurdles record of 7.84. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

Sarah Lavin will be the star attraction at this weekend’s 123.ie National Indoor Athletics Championships as she tries to edge closer to Derval O’Rourke’s Irish 60m hurdles record of 7.84.

The A-list names of Irish athletics will be thin on the ground in Abbotstown, with top internationals like Rhasidat Adeleke, Ciara Mageean, Andrew Coscoran, Mark English and Thomas Barr all absent. With a hectic summer ahead – featuring the Europeans in June and the Olympics in August – most will bypass next month’s World Indoors in Glasgow but one who will be there is Lavin, who’s been in sparkling form of late.