Sweeney's worst fears realised

IRISH ROUND-UP: After Sydney the Australians recalled Magic Monday, after Athens the Irish will recall Tragic Tuesday. The fallout continues from that day of setbacks, with Nicky Sweeney last night withdrawing from the discus after failing a final medical test on the knee injury sustained earlier this week.

So like Gillian O'Sullivan and Jamie Costin, Sweeney's Olympics are over before they even started. The 36-year-old Dubliner was due in action tomorrow morning in the qualification rounds of the discus, but is now planning his return to his day job on Wall Street.

Sweeney was intending to undergo a scan on the injury on his arrival in the athletes' village yesterday morning. Though he missed that original appointment, the Irish medical team examined him shortly before 6.0 yesterday evening and the diagnosis was clear: the tear on his patella tendon would not allow him to compete.

"I think I've taken the mature decision," said Sweeney, who has already undergone nine operations on the same left knee and arrived in the village on crutches.

"The swelling had died down a little, but the pain was still there."

Irish Olympic doctor Seán Gaine backed up the decision: "For most athletes you could have considered a course of painkillers and a strong anti-inflammatory. That might have been the advice for a 26-year-old, but not a 36-year-old."

It was another blow to the Irish team, with just 11 of the original 15 athletes chosen for Athens actually going on to compete there.

For Sweeney, who for the last few weeks had been training three hours away from Athens in Kalamata, it's the end of remarkable comeback, which saw him throw 64.12 metres back on July 4th, enough to see him make his fourth Olympics.

But in what should have been a routine weight training session earlier this week, Sweeney felt a sharp pain during a dead-weight exercise. So - for the second time - he walks off into retirement.

Meanwhile, Costin was flown by air ambulance from Greece to Dublin yesterday evening, after sustaining spinal injuries in a road accident on Tuesday.

The Waterford athlete (27), who was due to compete in the 50km final next week, arrived at Dublin airport at approximately 7.20 last night. He was admitted to the Accident and Emergency Department of the Mater Public Hospital, before being transferred to the spinal injuries unit.

A spokeswoman for the hospital said last night that she was unable to comment on his condition until the doctors' assessment was complete.