According to media reports, Irish 400 metres hurdle champion Susan Smith Walsh has been confined to her bed only two days before the athletics programme begins in Sydney. Smith Walsh has been hit by the mysterious throat bug which has laid low a number of Irish athletes in the Olympic village. Officials are now concerned that her illness may seriously affect her performance in the heats of the 400 metres hurdles. The Atlanta-based Waterford woman made the semi-finals in the 1996 Olympic Games and the finals of the last world championships.