ATHLETICS/Europa Cup:Paul Hession followed up his record-breaking run in the 100 metres on Saturday by winning the 200 metres yesterday on the concluding session of the European Cup in Vaasa in Finland - but that wasn't enough to stave off the relegation of Ireland's men from the first league.
The Galway sprinter knocked a tenth of a second off his own 100-metre mark, set earlier this month, when finishing second to the Dutchman Guus Hoogmoed, clocking 10.18 seconds, which betters the A standard for the World Championships in Osaka later this summer and the Olympic Games in Beijing next year.
Hession then got revenge on Hoogmoed when he won the 200 metres in thrilling style in 20.61 seconds, pipping Johan Wissman of Sweden in a photo-finish as both men were given identical times, with Hoogmoed back in third on 20.87.
On Saturday, Wissman had defeated David Gillick to win the 400 metres in 45.77, the Dundrum man posting second in 46.24.
Despite Hession's victory, and a second place for Dave Campbell in the 1,500 metres, the Irish men's team finished seventh of the eight nations, ending up with 76 points, five behind sixth-placed Switzerland.
Overall victory went to Spain, and Sweden came second.
The women fared better and survived in the first league for another year - Derval O'Rourke producing her best race of the season yesterday and thereby serving notice she is still running into form for the World Championships next August.
After a below-par effort in Oslo recently, when she finished last in the 100-metre hurdles at the Golden League meeting in a time of 13.16 seconds, the Corkwoman bounced back at the weekend to finish second to the European champion, Susanne Kallur of Sweden, in a time of 13 seconds flat.
In doing so she finished encouragingly close to Kallur, the winner in 12.92, with Britain's Sara Claxton, a 12.93 performer, back in fourth place.
Kilkenny's Eileen O'Keeffe was an excellent winner of the hammer with a throw of 69.44 metres, almost two metres better than the runner-up, Merja Korpeta of Finland, and an Irish record.
That win and runner-up placings from O'Rourke and Róisín McGettigan, in the 3,000 metres steeplechase, helped Ireland's women retain first-league status, but only just, finishing sixth with 76 points, three better than the relegated Norwegians.
Britain, overall winners on 131 points, and Sweden are promoted.
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