Tom McGuirk, the American based 400 metres hurdler, is out of Ireland's team for next month's World Championships at Seville, because of injury.
McGuirk, one of only nine Irish athletes who have achieved A qualifying standards for the showpiece of the international season, damaged his knee during a training session in San Francisco last week.
It means that effectively, his season is now over, a cruel blow for an athlete who was hoping to use the Seville championships as a significant part of his preparations for next year's Olympic Games at Sydney.
With Limerick athlete Thomas Coman also recuperating from an injury, McGuirk's absence may now occasion a rethink in the selectors' plans to nominate a 4 x 400 metres relay squad for Seville.
As yet, it is still not clear if James McIlroy, the find of the season in Irish athletics in 1998, will be available to take his place on the starting line for the 800 metres championship in Spain.
A combination of injury and illness has turned McIlroy's current campaign into something of a personal disaster and at this point, it seems unlikely that he will have recovered in time to compete in the world tests.
In the short term, it aborts the prospect of a fascinating three cornered struggle for the 800 metres title when the National Championships take place at the Morton Stadium, Santry over the next two days.
With James Nolan and David Matthews already confirmed as certain starters, the Ulster man's presence would have ensured a suitable race to decorate the championships. Yet, even in his absence, there is every reason to anticipate a thrilling battle between the UCD clubmates.
Nolan, grown to maturity in some outstanding runs over the last 12 months, is, like McIlroy, still only at the apron of an international career which promises much. Matthews, by contrast, has already experienced the intense pressures of the big time with varying degrees of success.
An uncommonly lean time last summer, seemed to mark the end of his career in major championships but now, under the shrewd eye of his new coach, Jim Kilty, he has rediscovered sufficient of is old verve to suggest that he is capable of some more big runs this summer.
With the announcement of the world championship squad due to be made on Monday, there will be no lack of incentive for competitors in the championships which are being sponsored for the first time by TNT.
The new sponsors will be encouraged by the huge entry, so big that if the current trend is maintained, it may well be necessary to stage the championships over three days in future years.
That would appear to give the lie to the theory of a sport in decline and the hope is that quantity will be matched by quality as athletes dig even deeper for the inspiration to copperfasten selection for Seville.
Among those aspiring to grow tall on the occasion will be Nenagh's Gary Ryan who needs a convincing win over Paul Brizell to give added momentum to his season.
Brizell is one of several credible northern contenders for titles, testimony to the growing spirit of ecumenism in Irish athletics. And that should be reflected in a strong Ulster presence in the 400 metres where Paul McBurney and Paul McKee look likely to fight out the finish.
Susan Smith, sponsored this year by TNT, will be in search of a hurdles double in the women's programme in which the performance of the Newbridge athlete, Karen Shinkins in the 400 metres event, will also be monitored with keen interest.
