Sports Digest/Cycling:David O'Loughlin yesterday took the best ever result by an Irish individual pursuit rider in a track World Cup event, finishing fourth in the velodrome in Ballerup, Denmark, writes Shane Stokes.
Building on the seventh place he achieved in the Beijing World Cup and the eighth place from the Los Angeles round, the Team Pezula rider was fourth-quickest in yesterday morning's qualification heats. The Spaniard Sergi Escobar was quickest, posting a time of 4 minutes 23.128 seconds, O'Loughlin clocking 4 minutes 26.579.
Escobar went on to beat Alexei Markov (Russia) by two seconds last night. O'Loughlin was up against Australian Luke Roberts in the bronze medal ride-off but lost out to his more experienced rival, finishing two-and-a-half seconds off his time.
Athletics:British athletics should not dwell on the past sins of a competitor banned for doping but look ahead to winning medals, former Olympic 100-metre champion Linford Christie said on Friday.
Christie, who served a two-year ban after testing positive for the steroid nandrolone in 1999 when he was semi-retired, was reluctant to give an opinion about the Dwain Chambers selection issue, but said: "Let it go, be positive. It's all about healing, we have to think positive."
Sprinter Chambers, having served a two-year doping suspension for a positive test in 2003, has won a place on Britain's team for next month's world indoor championships in Valencia, a fact selectors have had to reluctantly accept.
The 1992 Barcelona Olympic gold medallist said athletes should not be drawn into discussing or acting on political issues like China's record on human rights or Beijing's pollution: "An athlete's got one chance in four years (for an Olympic medal). They're not politicians, they're performers."
Soccer:The Republic of Ireland women's team meet Italy today in the Sardinian town of Villacidro in a crucial European Championship qualifier, writes Mary Hannigan.
Noel King's side are level on points with the group leaders Sweden and Italy going into the tie, but the Swedes, who have a game in hand, remain favourites to top the table and go through automatically to next year's finals in Finland. Ireland and Italy, then, expect to contest second place in the group, the prize for which is a spot in one of five two-leg play-offs in October.
Even finishing third, though, could also put Ireland in to the play-offs.
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND(squad v Italy at Villacidro): E Byrne, C Grant, Y Tracy (all Arsenal), E Griffin (Benfica FC), S Curtis (Bristol Academy), M Curtin, E Malone (both Hofstra University), A Moran (New York Athletic), L Bradley, S Boyle, N Murray, O O'Toole (all Raheny United), N Fahey, M De Burca (both Salthill Devon), K Taylor (St Catherines), A O'Gorman (Stella Maris), S Hughes (Tolka Rovers), M O'Brien (Watford Ladies).
