Athletics: Catherina McKiernan yesterday revealed she is to take an enforced but welcome break from serious training as she is expecting her first child, writes Ian O'Riordan.
Due next March, it rules the 31-year-old out of the World Cross-Country Championships in Dublin in the same month. She also confirmed yesterday she would not be competing in the Dublin Marathon on October 29. A former winner of the London, Berlin and Amsterdam marathons, as well as runner-up five times in the World Cross-country, McKiernan has suffered with a succession of injuries over the last two years.
Now running pain-free, she is still hopeful of getting back to her best over the next year, and like Sonia O'Sullivan and so many top female athletes before her, she is confident that bearing a child will see her return stronger.
O'Sullivan is currently on a similar break from competition as she is awaiting the birth of her second child. Earlier this week it was also revealed that Romania's Gabriela Szabo has plans to take a year out of competition with the intention of having a baby.
According to race director Jim Aughney, entries for this year's Dublin Marathon are already ahead of this stage last year.
"We hope to push beyond the 9,000 mark," he said. "The entries from America haven't been effected this year and Dublin still has one of the highest international entries of all big city marathons."
This year has also seen Adidas take over as official Dublin Marathon sponsor and the prizemoney for the top Irish finishers is to increase. Up to eight Ethiopian athletes are expected to travel.
Boxing: Mike Tyson's fight against Denmark's Brian Nielsen in Copenhagen has been postponed.
Tyson has a back injury and has asked for "a couple of weeks longer" to prepare for the fight, according to his adviser, Shelly Finkel. The fight was due to take place on September 8, but press reports in Denmark suggest October 13 as a more likely date.
Meanwhile, Lennox Lewis's rematch with world heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman has been confirmed for November 17. The fight will take place in the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, the Sport, Lewis's management said yesterday.
Both fighters will take home a purse of "at least" $10 million.
