ATHLETICS:NO ONE said it would be easy – and yes, Derval O'Rourke has more than a few hurdles to clear in Paris today.

She may have medalled in two of her last three major finals – and finished fourth in the other – but it hasn’t been the smoothest of run-ups to these 31st European Indoor championships.

The assumption, and justifiably so, is that O’Rourke has once again reserved her best for the championship showdown.

She’ll certainly want it: ranked only joint-seventh this season in the 60 metres hurdles, O’Rourke has some daunting opponents ahead of her, including a few old rivals.

She’s among the first athletes in action at the Palais Omnisport this morning, and, with the semi-finals and final scheduled for later this afternoon, it should be an eventful day, assuming O’Rourke makes the final (5.40pm Irish time).

The lack of racing this season due to a groin injury has probably left her more hopeful than confident of repeating the medal success in Turin two years ago, when she won bronze.

Indeed, her true chances may well be revealed in this morning’s heats. “My preparations haven’t gone as well as I would have liked,” she admits, “in that I haven’t managed to complete the full indoor season. But when I have raced I have felt good.

“But I know I’ll be the only one in the field who hasn’t had plenty of races this indoor season, so I’m going to have to work really hard to do well.

“The fact that the majority of the field will have had lot of races means that many of them will be running fairly comfortable in the heats and semi-finals. I’ll have to be working hard from the first race to ensure I try and make it through, because I haven’t had as many races in the season as them.”

Although defending champion Eline Berings from Belgium isn’t here, those shooting for gold include Christina Vukicevic of Norway, who has run 7.90 this season, Germany’s Carolin Nytra, who ran 7.92, and Russia’s Aleksandra Antonova, who has clocked 7.93.

O’Rourke ran 8.03 in France last month before the groin injury put a halt to her plans, but her national record of 7.84 – set when winning the 2006 World Indoor title – is the fastest lifetime best of any of them. She also beat Nytra and Vukicevic at the European Championships last July.

“Yeah, over the season I have been keeping an eye on everyone and their times,” adds O’Rourke (who, by the way, is sporting a slick new haircut).

“Vukicevic and Nytra have been running really well this season, so they will definitely be up there along with a few others. But I always concentrate on my own race. Hopefully that will get me through the rounds, and we can go from there then.”

If O’Rourke does make the final she’ll be very hard to beat, as always. Her coach, Seán Cahill, agrees, and is a little more upbeat, having put her through the best training session of the winter in Santry last Saturday.

“It was Derval’s best session in many weeks,” says Cahill, “and I’m very happy with her level of fitness. The only thing that concerns me are those few days she missed recently, when she had a slight soreness in her groin, and what affect that had.

“She also suffered a fall in training, although that happened on the flat, with no hurdles to clear. These things can happen when you are running flat out, which Derval does to keep her speed level up to scratch.

“But she is very happy herself that she is able to sprint flat out again pain free, which means she can concentrate totally on what she has to do in Paris, and not be concerning herself about protecting anything. Another race might have been good, but you must go with the hand you have been dealt.

“Derval has been down this road before and I’m confident that in her mind she will be upbeat. I never worry about her mental attitude because she’s always motivated by the challenge.”

Ireland’s medal record at European Indoor level is impressive – 18 won, and eight of those in the previous five championships, including Mary Cullen’s bronze over 3,000 metres in Turin.

Cullen has put her latest injury setback behind her to make it here, but admits she’s also a little race-stale, and goes into tomorrow’s heats thinking only about making the final first.

Cullen’s chances of making it into the medals haven’t been helped by the return of 2009 champion Alemitu Bekele, the Ethiopian now running under a Turkish guise.

Bekele won two years ago in 8:46.50, and although now 33, has gone from strength-to-strength since, winning the outdoors 5,000 metres gold in Barcelona last summer. Cullen’s season’s best of 8:53.01 ranks her ninth fastest, and it will be a disappointment if she doesn’t make the final.

The rankings of the other seven of Ireland’s nine-strong team suggest they’ll do well to make finals, although Ailis McSweeney (over 60 metres) and Brian Gregan (400 metres) shouldn’t be far off.

Brian Gregan (Clonliffe Harriers)

400 metres. Age: 21. PB: 46.68. 2011 best: 46.82. Event ranking: 9th. European leader: Leslie Djhone (Fra) 46.43. Heats: Today, 9.50am.

Darren McBrearty (Letterkenny AC)

800 metres. Age: 19. PB: 1:47.87. 2011 best: 1:47.87. Event ranking: 13th. European leader: Kevin Lopez (Spa) 1:46.06. Heats: Today, 3.55.

Dan Mulhare (North Laois AC)

3,000 metres. Age: 25. PB: 8:01.00. 2011 best: 8:01.00. Event ranking: 27th. European leader: Mo Farah (Brit) 7:35.87. Heats: Today, 10.15.

Derval O’Rourke (Leevale AC)

60 metres H. Age: 29. PB: 7.84 (Irish record). 2011 best: 8.03. Event ranking: joint 7th. Euro leader: Christina Vukicevic (Nor) 7.90. Heats: Today, 8.20am (semi-final 2.45; final 5.40).

Marian Heffernan (Togher AC)

400 metres. Age: 28. PB: 53.92. 2011 best: 54.00. Event ranking: 13th. Euro leader: Olesya Kransomovet (Rus) 51.22. Heats: Today, 9.20.

Mary Cullen (North Sligo)

3,000 metres. Age: 28. PB: 8:43.74 (Irish indoor record). 2011 best: 8:53.01. Event ranking: 9th. Euro leader: Helen Clitheroe (Brit) 8:39.81. Heats: Tomorrow, 10.30.

Ailis McSweeney (Leevale AC)

60 metres. Age: 27. PB: 7.32. 2011 best: 7.32. Event ranking: 16th. European leader: Olesya Povh (Ukr) 7.13. Heats: Tomorrow, 9.0.

Tori Pena (Finn Valley AC).

Pole Vault. Age: 23. PB: 4.31 m (Irish record). 2011 best: 4.31 m. Event ranking: 18th. European leader: Anna Rogouivska (Pol) 4.76m. Qualification: Tomorrow, 8.05.

Kelly Proper (Ferrybank AC).

Long jump. Age: 22. PB: 6.62 m (Irish record). 2011 best: 6.44 m. Event ranking: 19th. European leader: Anna Nazarova (Rus) 6.89m. Qual: Tomorrow, 10.15.