Jerry Kiernan has been unanimously chosen by the Athletics Association of Ireland (AAI) to lead the preparations of the Irish teams for next year's IAAF World Cross Country Championships, which will be staged in Dublin at the end of March. At the AAI's executive committee meeting last Friday, Kiernan's role of chief coach and adviser to the Irish squads was finalised. His vast knowledge and experience is well known within distance running circles, and he is already coach to a number of the country's top athletes.

An Irish representative at the World Cross Country Championships on numerous occasions, Kiernan is best remembered for his ninth place finish in the marathon at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984, a remarkable achievement that was largely overshadowed by John Treacy's silver medal. He is also a two-time winner of the Dublin marathon and remains the fifth fastest Irish marathon runner of all time.

The 29th staging of the World Cross Country Championships, which will be run over a special course at Leopardstown racecourse, will, as always, attract the world's best distance runners. It is hoped Sonia O'Sullivan and Catherina McKiernan will lead the women's team in a strong challenge for medals.