Double Olympic champion Kelly Holmes will compete over 1500m at the 54th Bupa Ireland Cork City Sports to be held at the Mardyke, Cork on July 2. Golden girl Holmes who won both the 800m and 1500m in Athens confirmed her participation from her training base in South Africa. Apart from her double Olympic gold feat in Athens last summer, Holmes has a legacy of world-class performances behind her. These include four World Championship medals, two European Championship medals, three Commonwealth Games medals including two golds. She also won the bronze medal over 800m at the Sydney Olympic Games as a prelude to her marvellous successes in Athens. Despite intense overseas opposition home athletes have a wonderful record in the 1500m event at Cork as it has been won by an Irish athlete each year since 1999 when Elaine Fitzgerald, now High Performance Director for Athletics Ireland, triumphed. Since then Freda Davoren, Geraldine Hendricken (who set the current meet record of 4:06.59 in 2002), former World Champion and Olympic silver medallist Sonia O’Sullivan and Davoren again last year have won. The BBC Sports Personality of the Year is sure to get a warm welcome on Leeside when she steps on the Mardyke track and makes her first competitive visit to the European Capital of Culture.