Lavin eyes big summer as she heals Tokyo frustration

Irish Olympian Sarah Lavin has three meets in six days coming up, but the first hurdle she had to negotiate this week was arguably the toughest: getting through Dublin Airport.

The Limerick athlete is having a fine season, most notably finishing seventh in the final of the 60m hurdles at March's World Indoors after setting two PBs in a breakthrough showing.

That was a real moment of redemption for the 28-year-old who admits her failure to get out of her heat in the 100m hurdles at last summer's Tokyo Games still hurts.

Lavin is desperate to prove she can live with the best and is working towards the World Outdoors in Oregon this July, and then August's Europeans in Munich.

Hence the current busy schedule - and trek through the choc-a-bloc airport - as she tunes up for a big summer.

On Friday Lavin competes in Bydgoszcz, Poland at the latest Gold meeting on the World Athletics Continental Tour.

It's off to the Netherlands for the FBK Games on Monday, and then she flies to South Africa for another event on Thursday.

Busy times, but her targets are crystal clear.

"It doesn't matter what you do on the circuit, it's what you do with the Irish vest on."

"When I go to the World (Outdoor) Champs I definitely want a better performance than I had in Tokyo last year," she said at the launch of the Irish Life Health National Track and Field Championships, which take place in Santry on 25/26 June.

"Noelle (Morrissey, her coach) and I love championships. That's what everyone wants.

"It doesn't matter what you do on the circuit, it's what you do with the Irish vest on. Our main target this summer is Munich, no doubt about it."

Lavin ran a fantastic 7.97 in her 60m hurdles semi to make the World Indoors final in March and seemed overwhelmed by the