ATHLETICS: World marathon record holder Paula Radcliffe will attempt a 5,000-10,000 metres double at this month's World Championships in Paris in a bid to win her first world title.
And her decision to contest both events will put her on course for a clash with Sonia O'Sullivan over the shorter distance.
The 29-year-old Briton, whose training has been interrupted by bronchitis and a leg injury, has yet to win an Olympic or world gold medal.
Paris might represent her last chance on the track if she decides to concentrate on the marathon in next year's Athens Olympics.
"I am pleased that my training has progressed to a level where I am able to be selected," she said in a statement yesterday. "My final couple of training sessions will tell me if I am at the level I want to be, and need to be, to do myself justice in Paris."
Ian O'Riordan adds: Mark Carroll has confirmed his intention to return to the New York City Marathon this November - the scene of his rewarding debut last year - for his second attempt at the 26.2-mile distance. His sixth place finish in that previous run in two hours, 10 minutes and 54 seconds made him the second fastest Irish athlete at the distance after John Treacy.
Speaking from his home in Providence, Rhode Island, Carroll outlined the reasons behind his decision to return to New York, and also his relief to be over the injury problems that had prevented his run in the Boston Marathon this year.
"Obviously New York last year was a positive experience for me," he said, "and I still think it's one of the best marathons around. It certainly whet my appetite to come back, and it has now become my sole focus for this year."
With the hip injury that kept Carroll out of hard training until May now firmly behind him, he feels his preparations will be more thorough than a year ago.
"The problem last year was that I only really had 12 weeks to prepare after finishing the track season at the European Championships in Munich.
"This time I'll have more like 20 weeks of solid preparations. There is stuff I can improve on, like being able to go with the leaders for longer, and hopefully be competitive right up to the finish."
Carroll insists, however, that Treacy's Irish record of 2:09.15, set in Boston in 1988, won't be a major target:
"It's more about being competitive on the day, and running to win rather than set a fast time. Of course if that means that the record goes then it would be great bonus, but I still feel I might need a flatter course to be sure of running that sort of time."
This year's race, which takes place on November 2nd, has the potential to be Carroll's biggest pay day of his career. Last year the 31-year-old Cork athlete took home $18,000 in prize money in addition to an appearance fee of around $30,000.
COMMUNITY GAMES: The national finals of the Community Games open at Mosney, Co Meath, on Friday evening, and over the next two weekends will attract around 6,000 young people aged six to 16 from all of Ireland's 32 counties. Once again the children will compete in a range of cultural and sporting activities from art to athletics, badminton to choir and hockey to chess.
It is the 36th year of the Games and the sixth year that the ESB have been the principal sponsors. Irish and Lions front row Peter Clohessy's son Luke will compete with the Limerick under-11 rugby team, while Patrick Mullins, son of race horse trainer Willie, takes part with the Carlow athletics team.
RUGBY: Connacht will hold open training sessions in Sligo and Ballina next week to which local coaches have been invited, while a special appeal is being issued to children in the area to come along and meet the players. The first session will take place at Hamilton Park, home of Sligo RFC, at 11.30 on Tuesday, August 19th, with the second at Heffernan Park in Ballina the following day at the same time.
