Gary Ryan set a new Irish record in Birmingham

Gary Ryan has become the latest Irish athlete to earn qualification for next month's World Indoor Championships.

The Nenagh sprinter became the first ever Irishman to duck under 21 seconds for 200m indoors over the weekend.

Ryan clocked 20.99 which cut .07 off the Irish indoor record set recently by Ballymena sprinter Paul Brizzel.

The new national record holder has been a tremendous servant to Irish athletics.

He has represented Ireland at two Olympic Games and numerous other major championships.

Many thought that his best days were behind him but his performances this winter have rubbished that suggestion.

Meanwhile, Paul McKee produced another solid performance in France over the weekend.

I'll be looking to get in some good training over the next fortnight Paul McKee

Running in the latest Energizer Euroseries meeting in Lievin, McKee clocked 46.69 which was .15 outside the personal best he set in Stockholm last week.

McKee confessed to feeling tired after the race following a lot of recent travel.

"I had to run a lot of the race in lane two and I had to battle at one point against Leonard Byrd although to be fair, I came off better from the exchange than him," said McKee.

"It wasn't the ideal race from a tactical point of view but it was good experience with the World Indoors coming up".

McKee won't run any more races in advance of the World Indoors in just over a fortnight.

"I'll be looking to get in some good training over the next fortnight.

Lausanne ambition

"I had the option of running a 300m in Germany later this week but I've had enough travelling for the moment".

Meanwhile, Dermot Donnelly has elected to run the 3000m at this weekend's British Indoors in Birmingham instead of competing at the Irish Cross Country Championship on Sunday.

Donnelly does hope to run in the World Cross Country in Lausanne next month but he will take his chances in the second Irish trial which takes place in Dunleer on 16 March.

"I don't see the logic in running over 12K this weekend as preparation for hopefully running 4K at the World Cross Country," said Donnelly.

Ireland are not sending a long course team to Lausanne but the first two in this weekend's 12K event in Wicklow will earn selection for the World Cross Country.

The first two Irish finishers at the Dunleer event will also earn places in Switzerland while the selectors will add the final two names to the team.