ATHLETICS:THERE WAS no last-minute joy for Ailis McSweeney in her efforts to qualify for the World Indoor Championships when she failed to get the time for the 60 metres at the Grand Prix meeting in Gent yesterday.

Having missed the 7.37 seconds target narrowly on two occasions she was looking to book her place in Valencia yesterday but she ran well below form, finishing last in her heat in 7.47 seconds.

That is the end of McSweeney's efforts to make it to the world tests and it looks as if the Irish team will be extremely small as Derval O'Rourke will not be defending her 60 metres hurdles title while European champion David Gillick is not competing either.

Yesterday Deirdre Ryan competed in the high jump but she did not get the standard and had to be satisfied with a 1.84 metres clearance. Paul Hession, who is not going to Valencia, failed to qualify for the final of the 60 metres, clocking 6.77, well short of his 6.61 national record.

James Nolan has qualified to compete in the 1,500 metres at the world championships and is expected to compete in Valencia. He had a personal best over the 2,000 metres in Stockholm at the weekend, clocking 2:20.93 which compares well with the Irish record held by Marcus O'Sullivan at a hand-timed 2:20.2.