Medal contenders join the fray

When you're listed as one of the medal favourites at a major championships the heats are all about getting over the first hurdle - which is particularly true for Derval O'Rourke. After steady progress all summer, the world indoor champion at 60-metre hurdles is now ready to mix it with the best in Europe over 100-metre hurdles, starting with this morning's five qualifying heats.

And later today, Alistair Cragg goes in the first of two 5,000 metre heats, and unless he falls and breaks a leg he will qualify for Sunday's final. If anything, the start list for Cragg's event underlines his status as favourite for the gold medal.

O'Rourke arrived in Gothenburg on Tuesday evening, having concluded her race preparations in Dublin. She goes in heat two (9.52am Irish time), and while drawn in the outside lane has only one athlete to fear - the Russian Aleksandra Antonova, just two lanes inside her. First two home in each of the five heats, and the six fastest losers, progress to tomorrow's semi-finals.

Having lowered the Irish record to 12.85 seconds in Helsinki a fortnight ago, O'Rourke is the sixth-fastest hurdler in Gothenburg. Antonova has run 12.78, and the other obvious medal threats are Spain's Glory Alozie (12.76), France's Adriana Lamalle (12.67), Germany's Kirsten Bolm (12.65), and Sweden's own favourite Susanna Kallur, the fastest hurdler here with her 12.52. After that . . .

This event though leaves precious little room for error, and nearly every major hurdles race throws up some surprise - as O'Rourke herself proved in Moscow last March. Yet she's made no secret of her ambitions to make the final, and added: "You don't run sprint-hurdles finals for second or third."

Her coach Jim Kilty wasn't going quite that far when summarising her final countdown yesterday.

"The plan coming here is twofold," he said. "First of all to make the final, and after that to run faster than she's ever run before. Hopefully that will be fast enough to win a medal, but I definitely believe she is capable of breaking 12.80 out here. Lane eight is not ideal for the first race, but she'll have that good Russian close to her to use as a guide.

"There's no more to say at this stage other than she's in good form and feeling fresh again."

O'Rourke admitted feeling a little tired after running two hard races back-to-back in Germany last Sunday week, but rested up last Saturday and last Monday.

Her last two key sessions - technical work with Seán Cahill on Friday and some pure speed work on Sunday - were described by Kilty as "very satisfying".

The real test though comes in the semi-finals tomorrow evening and, should she make it, the final, which is run just an hour and 40 minutes later.

Cragg still holds the fastest 5,000-metre time in Europe this year - 13:08.97 - and the next-quickest in his heat this evening is the Spaniard Jesus Espana, who has run 13:16.74.

The first five home, plus the fives fastest losers, progress to Sunday's final, but with 21 runners declaring, only six will be chopped.

Spain's Juan de la Ossa has decided not to double up after taking third in Tuesday's 10,000 metres, likewise Germany's winner, Jan Fitschen, which in ways leaves Cragg in a class of his own - at least until Sunday's final.