ATHLETICS: That the Irish 400 metres record was broken at the weekend was not surprising, though Paul McKee seemed the athlete least likely to break it.

After years of injury and near misses it was a remarkable breakthrough for the 25-year-old from Belfast.

For the last few years, however, the long-standing record of Derek O'Connor was clearly under threat as several outstanding talents emerged in Irish 400 metres running. O'Connor's time of 45.73 seconds, set in the US back in 1986, was the constant target of Tomás Coman, Robert Daly, and more recently David McCarthy.

Yet McKee jumped the queue with his 45.62 seconds run when winning the low-key international in Tartu, Estonia on Sunday. The time comfortably qualifies him for the European Championships in Munich in August, and he is likely to make an impression there too as his time is the fastest by a European so far this season.

Under the new Athletics Ireland constitution, McKee is also eligible to represent Northern Ireland in the Commonwealth Games next month. His time then also lowered the Northern Ireland record of 45.85 seconds set by Paul McBurney in Birmingham five years ago.

Up to now, McKee's international experience has been largely limited to 4x400 metres relay teams - he was a member of the Irish teams at both the Sydney Olympics and the 1999 World Championships in Seville. His first emergence on the senior scene was his bronze medal in the national championships in 1998.

Still, there were some recent hints that McKee was coming into the sort of form to break the record. Two days previously in Riga, Latvia he clocked 46.03 seconds for a similarly impressive victory.

"I might have run a bit faster but I felt a bit tired after a three hours' bus journey from Riga," he said after his record-breaking run. For McKee, who runs with the Beechmount club in Belfast, the higher-profile races later in the season can't come quick enough.

Two further Irish athletes achieved qualifying times at the Riga meeting. Terry McHugh booked his place to a fourth successive European Championships when throwing 78.67 metres in the javelin, a distance that left him in second position.

Cork's Derval O'Rourke also finished second in the 100 metres hurdles, clocking 13.30 seconds.