from Jeremy Lyons The exciting news for Irish athletics fans is that Eileen O’ Keeffe is slated to make her comeback from injury at this weekend’s IUAA championships in Limerick. Eileen was dealt a cruel injury blow which destroyed her Olympic aspirations last summer but news that she is about to step back into the competitive arena is very positive news indeed. She is expected to compete in the hammer and discus. The championships are expected to have some great competition with many of our top athletes pencilled in to compete. Brian Gregan has been reportedly running exceptional training times in Portugal in the past week and will surely be aiming for Rob Daly’s record of 47.25 to lay a marker this early in the season. Fellow DCU man Chris Russell will be hoping for a 100/200 double but will expect strong competition from a field that includes seven sub-11 second sprinters.
Niamh Whelan (UL) will be making her outdoor Varsity debut and will be challenged by Clare Brady (DCU). Two of the Turin relay heroines will go head to head in the 400m with Claire Bergin expected to beat Gemma Hynes while all-rounder Brona Furlong will be the favourite for the 400m hurdles. With all three of these girls on the DCU 4 x 400 relay team the record of 3:52 will certainly fall.
Joe Warne (DCU) will fancy his chances in the 800m while John Coghlan and Eoin Everard (both DCU) will battle it out in the 1500m. UCD’s Mick Clohessy should take the 5000m and Foinnuala Britton (DCU) will continue her comeback from injury that robbed her whole cross country season in the women’s 5000m where she will face World Cross participant Linda Byrne as her main rival.
Action gets underway tomorrow (Friday) and continues until Saturday.