ATHLETICS: From well outside the Morton Stadium comes the sound of wild, hysterical cheering. Something is definitely happening in there today. The Irish medal haul must be gathering pace. Or else drama is in the air. Turns out it's a bit of both. Ian O'Riordan reports.
First scene on the track then: the finish of the 800 metre walk, division four. Crossing the line some 75 metres clear of the only other finisher is Aoife Beston. So that explains the cheering: Ireland has finally secured its first athletics gold medal.
Within minutes, though, a sort of eerie silence descends. In the uncontrollable joy of seeing the finish line, Beston had broken into a run, and to anyone who knows the laws of race walking, that spells trouble. Indeed, the red flag had been raised. And with three warnings already to her name, that meant disqualification.
Over in the technical room, there is horror. The gold medal must be turned into a participation ribbon. And someone has to tell the 13-year-old from Claremorris. Host nations don't deserve this. Can't there be a cover-up? But sport by its very nature can always lay a cruel hand, and the Special Olympics are no exception. So the gold goes to Belgium, and 18-year-old Alix Ramon.
Now it seemed it was more than just the change in the weather dampening the spirit. The arrival of Brian O'Driscoll had kept some of the buzz in the air, but clearly the only lift now could come from the track.
In the next event, the 100 metre walks, Ireland has two competitors in division four in Linzi Craig and Josephine Lambert. Both have special reasons for being on the track. Linzo is celebrating her 19th birthday and, at 65, Lambert is the oldest member of Team Ireland.
From the start it's clear the race will be close, but even in this event, endurance counts. Linzi eventually takes fourth, and Lambert sixth. Of course they still share the broad smile. But a couple of red flags have been raised too, so this story might not be over yet . . .
For now, though, there is no time to fret. Just three races later, in the men's division nine final of the 100 metre walk, there is 13-year-old Barry Langdon. At the finish line awaits a large group of family and friends all up from Ballina, with his mother Martha Langdon acting as cheerleader.
The noise level rises all the way down the straight, with Barry Langdon leading the way. And there will be no debating this result: the gold medal is his.
"We're absolutely delighted," says his mother. "That's his second medal now, and better than the bronze he took in the softball. But walking has been his sport now for a couple of years, and he's been training very hard since last September." By the time he makes his way over to the presentation area, there is already loud applause. And that can only mean one thing.
It seems incredible, but the top three finishers in the race of Craig and Lambert have all been disqualified. Paballo Mosaole of Lesotho, who originally crossed the line first, was guilty of a lane infringement, and the next two home were DQ-ed for technical breaches. So the two Irish are now also being handed medals.
For Craig, who hails from Ballyclare in Antrim and is coached by the Irish athletics manager Phyllis Gilliland, the glorious moment must still be shared, and on the medal podium she holds the hands of the other finishers. And they can all look each other in the eye.
"I can't believe the way it's worked out," says Gilliland. "But the girls knew they had to walk properly. And the other ones had started to run. So things have turned around okay. It was very hard on Aoife Beston, but she's got over it."
Before the 100 metre walk event is done there is one more bronze. Richard Lennon, the 29-year-old from Kill in Waterford, takes third behind Syed Gause of Bangladesh.
After that out come the true speed merchants for the finals of the men's 100 metres. There are 37 finals in all, but one stands out - the division 45 race. Off the line like a bullet of light comes Berry Amos Selly, a 16-year-old from Indonesia. And 11.65 seconds later, the gold medal is his.