Kate Veale has retained her Irish Senior Race Walk title, coming home first in the 2024 edition at Morton Stadium on Saturday morning.
West Waterford AC's star walker clocked 21.57.42 over 5000m in Santry to secure a fifth straight title in the discipline.
That result comes at the perfect time for Veale who was left disappointed at the same venue last weekend where she tried to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
The 30-year-old went in the mixed relay marathon race walk last Sunday where she was paired with two-time Olympian Brendan Boyce. The team needed to win the race outright, while walking it in less than three hours and eight minutes, but were ultimately short on the time, coming home sixth in three hours and twelve minutes.
At the same time last week, but further removed in Geneva, Thomas Barr also missed out on qualifying, but the Dunmore native will have another bite of the cherry.
He ran a 49.51 over the 400m hurdles in Switzerland, leaving him outside the qualifying standard of 48.70. However, the Ferrybank AC Olympian can secure his place with a strong run in the 400m hurdles final on Sunday afternoon.
He goes in the heats on Saturday evening, which should be routine for Barr with his given quality, and likewise, it's hard to see the final going any other way.
Barr will need to be within the world's top 40 by the close of business on Sunday when the Olympic qualification window slams shut. A good performance in Santry could well do the business for Barr, but it comes at a time when all of his peers around the globe are lining up for their own National Championships with the same goal in mind.
His heat will be ran off at 5.25 pm on Saturday, with the final set to be broadcast live on RTE on Sunday. Providing he makes the final, Barr will return for the decider at 1.05 pm On Sunday.
