IRISH team manager, Patsy McGonagle, is hoping Robert Heffernan can provide another inspirational performance in the 20k walk at the World Championships in Berlin today.

NOT too many witnessed Robert Heffernan clocking the fastest time in the world this year at 38 mins 48 secs in the 10,000m walk at the Munster Track and Field championships at the CIT track in Bishopstown.

IT MAY be something of a second coming but Jamie Costin will have arrived when he lines up for the 50k walk in the Bird’s Nest tomorrow morning (12.30am Irish time).

RACE walking legend Robert Korzeniowski arrives in Beijing today to help Robert Heffernan put the finishing touches to his preparations for tomorrow morning’s (2am Irish time) 20km walk.

EILEEN O’KEEFFE has eased fears over her knee injury, throwing 5kg and 7kg hammers at the Irish training camp in Matsue, according to Irish team manager, Patsy McGonagle.

ROBERT HEFFERNAN achieved another major milestone on Saturday when he knocked almost a minute off his national record.

OLIVE LOUGHNANE can’t wait to toe the line at the 23rd IAAF World Race Walking Cup in Cheboksary, Russia, on Sunday for several reasons but mainly her recent good form.

ROBERT HEFFERNAN ended up ninth in the IAAF Racewalking Challenge — the Grand Prix of Race walking — following what has been a sensational year for the Cork athlete.

ROBERT HEFFERNAN produced a career best performance to finish sixth in a sensational 20k walk at the world championships in Osaka yesterday.

Ireland's Robert Heffernan battled his way to a sixth place finish in the 20 kilometre race walk final in Osaka earlier this morning to continue the feel-good vibe in the Irish camp at the 2007 IAAF World Athletics Championship.

ROBERT HEFFERNAN was determined to keep his feet firmly on the ground yesterday after knocking 10 seconds off his old Irish record for the 20k walk at the European Cup in Leamington Spa on Sunday.

ROBERT HEFFERNAN could get close to a medal if everything goes well at the European Race-Walking Cup in Leamington Spa tomorrow.

ROBERT HEFFERNAN is back on the road and heralded his return by finishing third in a 10k race in Krakow at the weekend behind Ilya Markov (Russia), silver medallist in the Olympics in 1996, and the 2004 Olympic silver medallist, Francisco Fernandez (Spain).

FEW athletes in Helsinki have made more sacrifices than Robert Heffernan and the 27-year-old Togher man will be hoping to reap the rewards in the 20k walk today (4.40pm Irish time).

IRELAND’S representation at the World Athletics Championships in Helsinki was down to 11 yesterday following the withdrawal of David Gillick.

ROBERT HEFFERNAN will complete his build-up to the European Championships in Helsinki when he defends his 10,000m race walking title at the Woodies DIY National Championships at Morton Stadium tomorrow.

JER O’DONOGHUE made a sensational start to the new year by setting a new all-comers record when retaining the 60m title in a sizzling 6.79 secs at the Munster AAI indoor championships in Nenagh yesterday.

HE may be wrapped in plaster from his hips to his armpits, but the message from Olympic racewalker Jamie Costin yesterday was not to write him off just yet.

Unlucky Irish walker Jamie Costin is hoping to be back competing as an international athlete within the next two years.

JAMIE COSTIN was joined by family members at the KAT hospital in Athens yesterday as he awaited an air ambulance flight to Dublin for treatment on his injured back.

ROBERT HEFFERNAN and Jamie Costin will have the greatest race walker of all time advising them for the Olympic Games in Athens where they will be aiming for a top 10 placing.

IRISH Olympic medal hopeful Gillian O’Sullivan is unconcerned by the injury which forced her to abandon the Grand Prix walking race in La Coruna on Sunday.

GILLIAN O’SULLIVAN has predicted that tomorrow’s world cup race will answer a lot of questions as the build up to the Olympic Games in Athens enters a new phase.

JAMIE COSTIN will get the Irish to the Olympic Stadium early this morning when he lines up for the 50k walk (8.05 am Irish time).