Sports Digest: Sonia O'Sullivan has abandoned her plan to run the Berlin marathon later this month, having failed to reach a satisfactory level of fitness.
It's now increasingly likely that O'Sullivan, who turns 36 in just over two months, will soon announce her retirement from international competition, writes Ian O'Riordan.
Although she revealed her intention to run in Berlin just over a month ago, it soon became apparent she wouldn't fulfil the necessary training. In last Sunday's London 5km road race she finished a poor sixth and over two minutes behind Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia in 17.34 - just over two weeks to go before the Berlin race on September 25th.
It was hoped she could improve her best of two hours, 29 minutes and one second she ran in London last April, but a series of injuries and decline in form means one final marathon is now unlikely until next year at the earliest, assuming O'Sullivan still wants to go on.
Next summer's European championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, would be the obvious swansong, however, and should O'Sullivan compete it would be a full 12 years after she first struck gold in the 1994 championships in Helsinki.
Cycling: Lance Armstrong is considering a return to competitive cycling, his spokesman has said.
"He's been thinking about it," said Armstrong spokesman Mark Higgins. "He's still fit and very much in his prime. He is not ruling out a return to racing."
Armstrong (33), retired after winning this summer's Tour de France for a record seventh consecutive time.
However, Armstrong has been dogged by controversy since a French newspaper said last month that six of Armstrong's urine samples collected on the 1999 Tour de France showed traces of the banned substance EPO (erythropoietin).
"In light of the stuff that's been going on in the past few weeks, a comeback has become appealing," Higgins said. "At the same time, he's a retired athlete who is very much enjoying being with his children and working with charities. And he just got engaged. We'll just have to see."
Armstrong has steadfastly denied ever taking performance-enhancing drugs.
Basketball: By slipping up against Switzerland last week, the Slovak Republic have handed Ireland a golden opportunity in Geneva tonight (7.0) when they play Switzerland, writes Gavin Cummiskey.
A full-strength squad need to repeat last year's 10-point - albeit home - victory over Switzerland to come within touching distance of the elite European game.
Lose, and it becomes a messy three-way showdown, with Ireland needing a substantial margin of victory against the Slovaks in Dublin this Saturday.
The meek challenge of Malta last weekend at least allowed head coach Gerry Fitzpatrick to sparingly use prized possessions like NBA star Pat Burke, while another player with NBA experience, Cal Bowdler, has sufficiently recovered from a back complaint.
Get the Swiss out of the way and there can be genuine confidence ahead of Saturday's match, which will be televised live from the national arena.
Rugby: Premiership bosses believe England Rugby Limited (ERL) is the only body that holds the legal jurisdiction required to settle the player availability row.
The RFU argue the England stars involved in the trip to New Zealand are forbidden to play a full 80 minutes for their club until 11 weeks after their final appearance for the Lions.
But two Premiership outfits - Sale and Leicester - defied the RFU last weekend by selecting Lions tourists for the opening round of league action, declaring that English rugby's elite player scheme does not cover the Lions.
