While Sonia O'Sullivan was preparing to leave London to start her track programme in Paris tomorrow evening, Sinead Delahunty was yesterday writing herself out of Ireland's Europa Cup assignment in Lithuania at the weekend.

Delahunty, O'Sullivan's valued team-mate on many overseas missions, pulled up in some distress after finishing last in a time of four minutes 15 seconds in a 1,500 metres race at Hengelo on Monday evening.

Later, she was diagnosed as suffering from an allergy and, on medical advice, she may not run again in June. "It's something I've learned to live with over the years," she said. "It affects me almost every summer but hopefully I'll be fit enough to run in some of the grand prix meetings before the European Championships in August."

The Irish selectors were still searching for a 1,500 metres replacement last evening but the likelihood is that it will be filled by the Waterford athlete Elaine Fitzgerald, who trains with Susan Smith in the United States.

Nor is that the only cloud on the selectors' horizon, for they are still uncertain if Niall Bruton will be available to take over in the 3,000 metres from Cormac Finnerty, who is out for the rest of the season because of illness.

Bruton was originally chosen to run the 1,500 metres in Lithuania, a responsibility which will now devolve on the emerging Ballymena runner, James McGrath. The problem is that the talented Dubliner has been accepted as a late entry for an international 1,500 metres race in Milan on Friday evening, posing logistical problems in getting him to Lithuania in time for the European meeting.

BLE officials were confident they were on the verge of solving the problem yesterday but with such a tight timescale involved, they will doubtless be relieved if and when Bruton shows up for the meeting in Lithuania.

Meanwhile, Sonia O'Sullivan leaves today for Paris, confident that her early-season preparations have gone well. She will run again in a 1,500 metres race at Bratislava on Monday and will then have a short break before competing in the Cork City Sports at the end of the month.

Donovan Bailey, Canada's 100 metres world record holder, announced yesterday that he will retire after the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.