Three newly-crowned winners at the USA Track and Field Championships held in sunny California last weekend compete Saturday at the 54th BUPA Ireland Cork City Sports en route to the forthcoming World Championships in Helsinki. Shalane Flanagan impressive winner of her national 5k title for the first time will provide serious opposition to both Sonia O’Sullivan and 2004 World Cross Country champion, Benita Johnson, from Australia over 3000m with Sonia’s meeting record of 8:38.99 under serious threat. Daniel Lincoln, U.S. Steeplechase champion, tackles Cork’s Mark Carroll, Kenya’s double Olympic silver medallist Paul Bitok and the very in-form Australian Craig Mottram over 3000m with the Australian who has already posted the world’s fastest 5000m time for the year intent on breaking his own national record for the shorter distance. Alan Webb after his winning performance in California will be favourite to win the 800m in Cork but holder Glody Dube from Botswana, and the brilliant South African, Werner Botha will see the young American does not have things all his own way. Olympic and World long jump champion Dwight Phillips will be the star attraction in the field while Olympic silver medallist Bernard Williams in the sprints, double world hurdles champion Anjanette Kirkland in the hurdles and world indoor champion Tyree Washington will also compete. Indeed, the latter’s clash with Ireland’s European 400m Indoor champion, David Gillick, should be one of the afternoon’s highlights. Marlon Devonish, another gold medal winner from the Athens Olympics, has just been added to the sprinting line-up and his clash with Williams in view of past US/UK rivalries could be explosive. The action at the Mardyke begins at 2pm.