SEVENTEEN year old Ethiopian Milion Wolde displayed the depth of his nation's athletic talent at Queen's University on Saturday when he won the IAAF Grand Challenge international cross country race.

Wolde finished just one second ahead of Slovakia's Robert Stefko in the 8,000 metre race with Dermot Donnelly the best of the Irish finishers in eighth place.

Elana Fidatov's margin of victory in the women's race was just as narrow, with the 36 year old pipping fellow Romanian Julia Ngeura to the line.

In a high class field, Maureen Harrington finished a highly creditable eighth and, along with Rosaleen Campbell and Louise Cavanagh, went on to help Ireland to victory in the team event over Scotland and England.

Meanwhile, Jason Livingston refused to set himself any lofty targets on his comeback trail, Colin Jackson outlined his plans for 1997 after the Birmingham New Year Games. They include an indoor double which could net him £100,000.

Jackson, the world 110 metres record holder, aims to win the 60 metre sprint and 60 metre hurdles at the World Indoor Championships in Paris in March on the path to re establishing himself as the best hurdler in the world.

The Welshman, who turns 30 next month, was unable to defend his world 110 metre hurdles title in 1995 and missed out on a medal in last year's Atlanta Olympics, because of injury.

The recent poor weather has prevented Jackson from training properly and he has lost some of his sharpness, so he was not unduly concerned at being beaten twice by Livingston at the National Indoor Arena.

Livingston, in his first major event since completing the four year ban imposed after he was sent home from the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 after testing positive for drugs, won the first race over 60 metres by 100th of a second in 6.69 seconds.

He was even more impressive later when he clocked a time of 6.66 seconds - the fastest in the world this winter.

Meanwhile, finance director Steve Gledhill is to leave the beleaguered British Athletic Federation. The federation has lost around £750,000 in the last two, years.