Cathal Dennehy

Athletics is changing, fast, trying to capitalise on the buoyancy of the Paris Olympics and keep its head above water ahead of Los Angeles 2028.

Sometimes athletes need someone who’s willing to be cruel to be kind, to tell them what they need to hear: That enough is truly enough.

On the Stick to Football podcast earlier this year, two of the sport’s most respected voices, Gary Neville and Roy Keane, said they believed they played against doped teams during their career.

Cormac Dalton can look at this two ways. The Mullingar Harrier could see himself as a marked man ahead of the 123.ie National Cross Country Championships, the defending champion who is running with a target on his back.

The 123.ie National Cross Country Championships took place at Castle Irvine Estate in Fermanagh on Sunday afternoon.

Keelan Kilrehill of Moy Valley AC, Mayo, cannot believe he is about to win the senior men's race at the Cross Country Championships at Castle Irvine Estate in Irvinestown, Fermanagh.

“I’m excited for the next chapter, to learn from the things that happened and to drive towards the next Olympic cycle."