Catherina McKiernan was back among the winners in Luxembourg yesterday after a fluent performance in the Route de Vin half marathon had taken her to victory over Katrin Dorre-Heinig.

McKiernan overcame a big challenge from the German in the middle stages of the race to win in 68 minutes 54 seconds, 16 seconds ahead of Dorre-Heinig. Alina Tecuta of Romania was third in 70 minutes 11 seconds.

Confirming that her preparations for an attempt on Tegla Lorupe's world marathon record in Amsterdam on November 1st are precisely on schedule, the Cavan athlete ran with her old authority over an undulating course.

It was on the downhill stretches that Dorre-Heinig gave McKiernan most of her problems, making up valuable yardage which gave her an outside chance of success at the 15-kilometre mark.

Once the terrain levelled out, however, McKiernan was clearly in control and with the German beginning to suffer in the conditions, the Irish woman was out on her own for the last six kilometres.

Later Joe Doonan, her coach, described it as as a very encouraging run. "After a long break from competition, it was important that Catherina started back with a win and she handled that challenge perfectly," he said.

"She was never in difficulty at any stage of the race and when she needed to step up the pace approaching the three-quarter stage, her response was excellent."

The race in which McKiernan had originally hoped to compete, the world half marathon championship, was won in Zurich by Tegla Lorupe in a time of 68 minutes 29 seconds - some 26 seconds faster than the Irish woman's figures in Luxembourg.

The discrepancy was attributable in part, however, to the more competitive nature of the championship event in which South African Elana Meyer fully extended the brilliant Kenyan.

They were still running shoulder to shoulder after 17 kilometres but then Meyer's concentration lapsed long enough to allow Lorupe to open up a substantial lead. Significantly, however, it was Meyer who was staying on stronger in the closing stages.

Paul Koech of Kenya became the first to win the men's half marathon championship in successive years when he got away from his challengers shortly after half-way to finish alone in 60 minutes one second, some 44 seconds outside the world record.