ATHLETICS: Pat Davoren applied some extra motivation to win the annual Oman Cup road race in the Phoenix Park yesterday. Ian O'Riordan reports.

The 30-year-old Kerry native had declared for England a couple of years ago because of his growing disillusionment with the Irish athletics selectors, whom he felt had continued to ignore his talents when it came to international teams.

In a closely fought battle over the 5km distance, it was Davoren who dug deepest at the finish to edge out Galway athlete Paul O'Reilly. Both runners were given the same time of 14 minutes and 49 seconds but Davoren's determination to break the finish tape had clearly earned him the victory.

Afterwards he explained how the constant rejection by the Irish selectors had forced him to transfer his allegiance to England. Having been working and training in Brighton for several years, he also felt that English representation was the natural option.

"I'd won three Irish steeplechase titles, one as a junior, but I never managed to get an Irish vest and I was extremely disillusioned with such an experience," he said. "Of course I would have loved to run for my native country but the selectors never gave me that chance which I honestly felt I deserved."

Ironically, the English selectors were quick to spot his potential and Davoren was one of their representatives in the 3,000 metres steeplechase at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester last July, where he reached the final.

This week he had made a brief return home for a wedding while en route to the county cross country championships in England on Saturday.

"I've put all the disappointment behind me," he added, "and I'm really looking forward to the future now. I feel I can make substantial progress in the coming months, and get my steeplechase time down to under 8:30. That is my target for this year at least."

Davoren has only recently moved to the warmer climes of Spain, where he now trains full-time. A former scholarship athlete at East Tennessee State University, he is also the brother of Irish international 800-metre runner Freda Davoren.

O'Reilly, however, certainly didn't make it an easy win for Davoren. Both athletes approached the uphill finish neck-and neck but Reilly, who was part of the Irish team at the World Cross Country in Dublin last March, found Davoren's determination just a little too much to surpass.

Davoren thus became the 51st winner of the Oman Cup, originally a two mile road race, and then anything from a two to five mile road race.

Emerging junior Martin Fagan from Mullingar was a long way back in third, clocking 15:17.

The women's De Loughrey Cup was a lot more comfortably won by Annette Kealy from Raheny, who had just over half a minute to spare on Stephanie O'Reilly of Wicklow. Kealy clocked an impressive 16:50, well clear of O'Reilly's 17:21.

Overseas in San Paulo, Brazil, meanwhile, Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya won the famous St Silvester road race on New Year's Eve, beating a field of more than 12,000 athletes from around the world to claim the 78th annual year-end event.

The 24-year-old Cheruiyot, who won this year's Milan Marathon, completed the 9.3-mile course through the wide avenues and narrow streets of South America's largest city in 44 minutes, 59 seconds. Brazil's Marilson Gomes dos Santos was second in 45:06, followed by Kenya's Paul Kirui in 45:14.

OMAN CUP (5km, men): 1 P Davoren (unattached) 14:49, 2 P O'Reilly (Loughrea) 14:49, 3 M Fagan (Mullingar) 15:17.

DE LOUGHREY CUP (5km, women): 1 A Kealy (Raheny) 16:50, 2 S O'Reilly (Wicklow) 17:21, 3 M Skelton (DSD) 17:38.