ATHLETICS:You approach the Sports Editor to place your bet. So, are we going to cover the European Indoors, writes IAN O'RIORDAN

PARIS IN the spring – aye, such a romantic image. Actually it feels more like Paris in winter, but that play of early-morning light off the Gare de Lyon and across the Seine would rouse even the most hopeless of painters and poets. Although we’re not just here for inspiration. We might also need a little vindication.

Athletics reporting these days is risky business. You observe form and rank like an investor on the Stock Exchange, and, having carefully selected the right moment, you approach the Sports Editor to place your bet. So, are we going to cover the European Indoors? He mumbles something about medal chances and tight budgets and then leaves it up to you. We buy the ticket, take the ride.

Derval O’Rourke is in her blocks – the heats of the 60 metres hurdles. Cool haircut, most of us agree. It’s just after 9.30am, and we’d walked about a mile from our old hotel to the Palais Omnisport, on the right bank of the Seine, at the Bercy Bridge. I’d picked up a double espresso and croissant on the way, and we took our seats inside the arena. Built in 1984, before its time, I think. It feels out-dated now.

“I was a bit nervous,” she tells us, after we eventually discovered our way down to the mixed zone. “But 8.07, first thing in the morning. I’ll take that. It’s only my third race this season.

“It’s nice to be in the semi-final, but I know I’m going to have to work very hard to make the final. But I’ll go back now for a sleep, then get ready.”

She’s booked an extra room right next door, to save a trip back to the team hotel. We already feel a little sleepy ourselves, but it’s back to our seats. Marian Heffernan is in her blocks – the heats of the 400m. Lane one. That’s like a death sentence, Brendan Mooney says, and so it proves.

She runs a horrible first 200, and although briefly threatens to finish third, ends up fifth. 54.94. One place outside qualifying. But hang on, Portugal’s Patricia Lopes ran 54.94 in her heat, and does qualify. They went to one-thousandths, Cliona Foley says.

That’s how close it was.

Back to our seats. Brian Gregan is in his blocks – the heats of the 400m. Lane five. Perfect. He’s some size of a man, John Harrington says. That should be an advantage, but instead Gregan hands the advantage to his opponents, letting two of them cut in front at the break. He seems to wobble around the final bend, finishes fifth, then collapses. 47.63.

“No excuse,” says the big man from Tallaght – and there really isn’t.

He needs to learn how to impose himself. Greg Allen says that, and we all agree. Gregan’s only 21 and has time to learn. Then again, David Gillick won his first European Indoor title at 21. It might be time for the big fish to swim out of the small pond. I pick up a double espresso. Back to our seats.

We’ve won two European Indoor 3,000m titles in the last decade: Mark Carroll, and Alistair Cragg. Dan Mulhare is the man carrying our hopes this time, although his only real hope is making the final. In fairness, it was an honest run, Tom O’Riordan says. We agree. Mulhare moved in front with eight laps to go, and only really lost ground on the last lap, finishing sixth.

The runner just in front qualifies.

“I owe Patsy McGonagle big time for bringing me here,” says Mulhare. “He put his neck on the line selecting me, believing it would stand to me. And, hopefully, I didn’t let him down. I know I need to address my finishing speed. I tried, but as everyone can see it just wasn’t good enough. Please God I’ll get another chance.”

Mulhare deserves another chance. The 25-year-old from Portlaoise is living in Edinburgh, having just completed an MA there in Civil Engineering. He can’t find a job in that department so he works 50 hours a week in a city sports shop, training whenever he can. It’s tough out there, we all agree on that.

Back to our seats. Derval O’Rourke is back in her blocks – the semi-finals of the 60m hurdles. The first four to progress, and she snatches third: 7.98, a season best. “I’ll do nothing but enjoy the final now,” she tells us. “I’m just going to run like hell.”

She’ll need to. Tiffney Ofili runs a British record of 7.89 to win the second semi-final. Then we’re handed the start list for the final – Derval O’Rourke, lane eight. Not good. I say that.

Anyway, back to our seats. Darren McBrearty is on the start line of the 800m heats. At 19, he's making his senior debut and none of us expect him to qualify. He expects otherwise, and puts himself in front from the gun, leading out the first three laps at fairly breathtaking pace. 52.50 at 400? It's hang on, or die. Well, he hangs on, finishing fourth in 1:49.74, then hangs around to see if that's good enough to progress as a fastest loser. Four heats later he realises it is. "Aye, I thought sub-1:50 would be good enough to go through," he says in his unbroken Donegal accent. Jeunes et insouciants, as they say in French accents.

And being young and carefree just about pays off for McBrearty. Still a few days short of his 20th birthday, McBrearty was the second youngest in his event, and knew coming here he’d nothing to lose. So he went for broke, leading the field through an almost suicidal 25.73 for the first lap, and then 52.50 at 400m. He was passed at the bell, tired a little over the last lap, but still finished a close fourth in 1:49.74.

Not bad for a novice in the event.

So then, one more double espresso, and back to our seats, one last time. It’s been a long day and Derval O’Rourke is back in her blocks, nine hours after her heats. She’s medalled in two of her last three championship finals, and finished fourth in the other. We’re all too nervous to say anything. The race lasts less than eight seconds, yet by halfway it becomes obvious what’s unfolding here – fourth is as good as it gets.

“Look, I didn’t even know if I was going to be here two weeks ago,” she tells us, mentioning for the first time the groin injury that halted training. “So to come here and run as well as I did, I have to be happy. I’m just gutted it had to be fourth. I ran 7.97 two years ago and came third. I ran 7.96 here and came fourth. There you go.”

Is that vindication? You decide.

What is certain is O’Rourke now has all motivation she requires for the rest of the year – and on again to London.

Voila!