ROB HEFFERNAN WILL become the first Irish athlete to compete at five consecutive Olympic Games in Rio and in doing so joins an elite group of athletes on the all-time appearance list.
The Cork man was yesterday named in the Athletics Ireland team for next month’s Games as he equals the record of Irish sailor David Wilkins.
Heffernan travels to Brazil as one of Ireland’s leading medal hopes but will make history even before he begins the 50km race walk on Friday 19 August.
Only three athletes have competed in more Olympic Games in the event’s 120 year history than the 38-year-old as he goes in search of another medal to add to his bronze from London.
Angolan runner Joao N’Tyamba, walker Jesús Ángel Garcia and Serbian high jumper Dragutin Topic are the only three athletes to lie ahead of Heffernan in the charts having competed at six Games.
Heffernan competed in the 20km walk in Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 and in the 20km and 50km four years ago.
He originally finished fourth in the latter in London but was subsequently upgraded to bronze after the Russian winner Sergey Kirdyapkin was stripped of his gold.
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