Paul Hession was a 200m semi-finalist in Beijing in August

Olympic 200 metres finalist Paul Hession will be among the big names competing at the Woodie's DIY Irish Indoor Championships on 7/8 February.

The Galway man attended the launch of the event on Wednesday and said that he is looking forward to competing in the 60m at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast.

"I will use the indoor season as a stepping stone to the summer and the World Championship in Berlin," he said.

The 25-year-old narrowly missed out on a place in the 200m final in Beijing.

His time of 20.32 placed him second in this year's European rankings behind Britain's Christian Malcolm, although Hession claimed three victories over the English sprinter in 2008.

Hession acknowledged that the 2010 European Championships will represent his best chance of claiming a major medal but prior to that, he will be aiming to make a breakthrough at world level by reaching the final in Berlin.

"I finished 10th in the Olympics so I'll aiming to make the top eight - although the World Championships next year may be even tougher than the Olympics because there will be four Americans in the field."

Hession set his Irish indoor 60m record of 6.63 at the Odyssey Arena in 2007 and he will be making a return to the venue after missing this year's championships.

The Odyssey event invariably showcases the increasingly strong ties between the two athletics governing bodies north and south.

Athletics Ireland president Liam Hennessy paid tribute to the vision of Athletics Northern Ireland, and in particular secretary John Allen, in securing the Belfast venue for the event six years ago.

"We feel privileged to be able to use this marvellous facility," said the AAI official.

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