O'Rourke can warm hearts in Belfast

ATHLETICS IRISH INDOOR:GIVEN THE arctic weather conditions currently sweeping the country, there is one sporting event guaranteed to go ahead this weekend and offer some warmth to spectators - the Irish Indoor Athletic Championships at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast.

It's the sixth time the Belfast venue has played host to the championships, mainly because there is still no other proper indoor athletics facility in the country. That remains one of the great sporting structural miscarriages of our time, but an argument for another day.

The Odyssey is a superb venue and Athletics Ireland are lucky to have use of it, thanks to the assistance of Athletics Northern Ireland, and, of course, event sponsors Woodie's DIY. It also promises to be one of the better championships in years, not least of all as they double as the trial for next month's European Indoor Championships in Turin.

Both Paul Hession and Derval O'Rourke have ambitions to do well in Turin, and are using these championships as part of their build-up. O'Rourke is in fact racing the 60-metre hurdles in Stuttgart this evening, but will catch a flight back to Belfast shortly afterwards - weather permitting - in order to maximise her race sharpness.

The 2006 World Indoor champion last raced in Belfast eroute to that title, running a then Irish record of 7.90 seconds. The least she'll want to do this time is improve the 8.33 she ran in the Russian Winter Meet in Moscow last weekend.

"Derval is in much better racing form than her weekend performance suggests and she will be hoping for a lot of improvement in Belfast on Sunday," said her coach, Seán Cahill. "She has been going very well in training and I think that she will run a really good race in Stuttgart on Saturday before arriving in Belfast on Sunday."

Hession is running the 60 metres flat, well below his best distance of 200 metres (which is no longer an international championship distance indoors).

He broke the Irish record in Belfast two years ago, but has some good opposition this time, including the American Josh Norman, so his season's best of 6.69 is likely to be bettered again.

There are several other big names, including Britain's Olympic 400 metres champion Christine Ohuruogu, who is focusing on the 60-metres indoors. Last weekend, Cork's Ailis McSweeney came close to qualifying for Turin with a time of 7.48 seconds in Leipzig, and could well upset the British star.

Also in the frame will be junior star Niamh Whelan of Ferrybank and team-mate Kelly Proper both of whom ran well in Birmingham last weekend.

An ankle injury has forced Deirdre Byrne out of the high jump, although she is one of the Irish athletes already qualified for Turin. One of the notable absentee's is David Gillick, who is due to race next weekend, before deciding whether or not to attempt a third successive European Indoor 400-metre title.

His coach Nick Dakin recently put the chances of Gillick competing in Turin as "50-50", but clearly it is an event he needs to think carefully about before bypassing.

Proceedings get underway at 4.30pm this evening and at 1pm tomorrow. There is Irish interest further afield too as Roisin McGettigan (mile), Mary Cullen (3,000 metres) Karen Shinkins (800 metres) and David McCarthy (college mile) all compete at the Boston Indoor meeting tomorrow with Turin qualification also on their minds.