Athletics/European Championships: There's nothing like the start of a major championship to get us all nostalgic about Irish athletics, so let's indulge. From Ronnie Delany to Eamonn Coghlan to Sonia O'Sullivan the European championships have been a happy hunting ground for medals. Irish athletes cannot necessarily make it anywhere, but they can make it here.
In the absence of the other continents, ambitions automatically rise. Ireland's nine medals from the previous 18 editions of these championships are proof, even if over half of them belong to O'Sullivan. Her gold medal over 3,000 metres in Helsinki in 1994, her double gold - 5,000 and 10,000 metres - in 1998 and her double silver in 2002 leave the Corkwoman among the most successful in European athletics history, lest we need any reminding.
Of course, O'Sullivan also has fond memories of the Ullevi Stadium in the heart of Gothenburg, where for the next seven days Europe's finest athletes contend in the 2006 medal hunt.
O'Sullivan won her only world track title here in 1995, over 5,000 metres, a performance of such enduring class that the image of her winning moment still features in all the stadium literature.
European championships, though, have produced the greatest spread of memorable moments in Irish athletics - Delany's bronze over 1,500 metres in Stockholm, 1958; Frank Murphy's silver over the same distance in Athens, 1969; Coghlan's silver, too, in Prague, 1978; and Mark Carroll's bronze over 5,000 metres in Budapest, 1998.
There have also been plenty of medals that got away, as John Treacy can tell you. He closed the 5,000 metres final in 1978 like an express train, taking fourth in 13:28.83 - exactly .31 of a second away from gold. It has often been said that if that race had been even five metres longer Treacy would have won.
Anyhow, what all that means is that Ireland is still waiting for its first male gold medallist.
Gothenburg presents as good a chance as ever in 26-year-old Alistair Cragg, who was born in South Africa but runs for the country of his great-grandparents. The fastest man in Europe this summer over 5,000 metres, Cragg has both the talent and temperament to end that long wait. And, he says, he's ready.
Yet Cragg is arguably not even the biggest star of this Irish team. That would be the world indoor 60-metre hurdles champion, Derval O'Rourke, whose progress over the 100-metre hurdles this summer looks good enough to put her in the hunt for her first outdoor medal.
That's later in the week, though - O'Rourke's final (assuming she makes it) is on Friday. Cragg's (likewise) is next Sunday.
What today's opening sessions are mostly about is qualification. Seven of the 29-strong team are out in their opening rounds, with Marie Davenport closing the day's proceedings in the straight final of the 10,000 metres.
At least two of those on the track today have live expectations of making finals. David Gillick, the reigning European indoor 400-metre champion, has clearly run himself into the form of his life, setting a personal best of 45.67 seconds when winning the national title a fortnight ago.
And at 23, Gillick will be well satisfied just to make Wednesday's final. He definitely has the potential to beat the best of Europe outdoors, but probably not until he's older and stronger - in other words, in Barcelona and the 2010 Europeans.
He goes in the second of four heats, with only two faster than him this year (Britain's Tim Benjamin and Germany's Kamghe Gaba). The first three in each heat and the four fastest losers make tomorrow's semi-finals.
Ireland's two other 400-metre entries - Paul McKee and David McCarthy - will probably need to produce season's bests to progress, and here's why: with 33 entries, one heat required the use of the ninth lane, and that, unfortunately, goes to McKee in heat one, where's he ranked fourth-fastest; McCarthy's season's best of 46.61 ranks him the slowest of eight in heat four, although he was injured earlier in the season and is at least running fresh and hungry.
James Nolan, who goes in the first of two 1,500-metre semi-finals this evening, hasn't disguised his confidence of making the final. At 29, Nolan has to be in his prime, and Gothenburg offers his best chance of making his first major outdoor final.
Still, it won't be easy. Of the 15 starters in his semi, Nolan's season's best of 3:37.89 ranks him fifth, and only the top four - plus the four fastest losers - will progress to Wednesday's final.
Liam Reale, the much-improved 23-year-old from Limerick, goes in the second 1,500-metre semi-final. His best of 3:38.65 makes him eighth-fastest in the field this season, and while Reale has a big kick, his heat includes the defending champion, Mehdi Baala of France, who has a best of 3:28.98.
Elsewhere, Michelle Carey from Dublin was drawn in lane eight - exactly where you don't want to be in a race for qualification - for the third heat of the 400-metre hurdles.
Eileen O'Keeffe goes into the hammer qualification knowing only a 70-metre throw is likely to see her through (her best is 69.36).
Davenport goes in the 10,000-metre decider as the sixth-fastest in the field and looks well capable of improving on the 17th place she managed four years ago in Munich.
Britain's 400 metres Commo wealth Games champion Christine Ohuruogu has been provisionally suspended for missing three out-of-competition drugs tests, UK Athletics said yesterday. The 22-year-old was due to compete in the 400 metres heats in Gothenburg tomorrow.
Irish in action
(all times Irish)
9.15 Women's hammer qualification (Group 1, Eileen O'Keeffe)
10.40 Women's 400-metre hurdles, Round 1 (Heat 3 Michelle Carey)
11.15 Men's 400 metres, Round 1 (Heat 1 Paul McKee, Heat 2 David Gillick, Heat 4 David McCarthy)
18.10 Men's 1,500 metres semi-finals (Semi-final 1 James Nolan, Semi-final 2 Liam Reale);
19.10 Women's 10,000 metres final (Marie Davenport).
