Ireland's Sonia O'Sullivan is considering returning from Australia in December to run in the European cross country championships.
O'Sullivan confirmed her interest this morning in Dublin, where she is preparing for Sunday's Great BUPA Ireland Run - which has attracted an entry of over 2,000 runners.
With Catherina McKiernan back in action and support from veteran Ann Keenan-Buckley, O'Sullivan believes the Irish squad is capable of winning in Edinburgh on December 14th.
O'Sullivan, one of the favourites for the individual title - if she competes - said: "It is a long journey but there is a good chance I will return for the championships."
After Sunday's 10-kilometre race in the Phoenix Park, O'Sullivan has only one more race scheduled - the Great South Run in Portsmouth, where she set a world 10-mile record last year.
She added: "Then it will be off to Melbourne for a couple of weeks rest before I start training again. It's a long way to come back but if everything is going well, I'll make a decision in mid-November about running in the Europeans.
"I think with the talent we have available we can do really well in Edinburgh and winning the team gold medals is a strong possibility."
PA