ATHLETICS CORK CITY SPORTS:IT MAY come as a surprise that Derval O'Rourke has not yet recorded a victory at the Cork City Sports, despite several attempts and the minor benefit of home advantage - but that's something she will once again try to put right at the Mardyke this afternoon.
O'Rourke joins most of Ireland's leading athletes at the event, now in its 57th year, and with the Beijing Olympics now under four weeks away, there's a typically strong international flavour as well.
Yet O'Rourke's latest quest for victory in the 100-metre hurdles will be far from a formality. The field includes Toyin Augustin of Nigeria, Andrea Bliss of Jamaica, Marina Tomic of Slovenia, and Poland's Aurelia Trywianska - all sub-13 second runners this summer - and O'Rourke hasn't yet rediscovered the form of 2006, when she ran 12.72 to win joint-silver at the European Championships in Gothenburg.
She has run a 12.99 and a promising 12.90 in Prague on June 16th, which was her fastest time for two years, but otherwise all her times have been over 13 seconds. However, she lost to England's Sara Claxton with a 12.96 two years ago, and virtually took off from there to get her 12.72 a month later. She also lost to Claxton last year, and was fourth in 2005, fifth in 2004, second in 2003 and fifth in 2002 and similarly all the way back in 1998 when she clocked 13.88 in finishing fourth.
O'Rourke is one of a number of the Irish Olympic team that will be in action this afternoon, with Paul Hession out to maintain his impressive record in Cork. Hession is bidding for a third successive victory in the 200 metres and after a 20.48 legal and a 20.26 wind-aided time in recent weeks, is aiming for his Irish record of 20.30.
Former Cork winner Dwight Thomas of Jamaica will provide a stern challenge, as will Chris Williams, also from Jamaica, who ran 20.20 last week, and the two Americans Chris Johnson and Demetrious McCloud.
Alistair Cragg recently confirmed his intention to run both the 1,500 and 5,000 metres in Beijing, and runs the shorter distance this afternoon. The field includes Americans Rob Myers, Chris Solinsky and John Jefferson, the Australian champion Mitch Kealey and Adrian Blincoe of New Zealand.
Cragg will be joined by several leading home runners including James Nolan, Ciarán O'Lionard, Colm Rooney and Kevin Moriarty - all set to ensure a fast face. The meeting gets under way at 2.0pm with the main action at 2.30 with the last event due off at 4.40.
