The good news from the US this weekend is that Leevale runner Darren Dinneen has decided to delay his entry into the world of work for a few months. His employer, Robert Stephens, has generously allowed him the time needed to train and qualify for the Sydney Olympics. His coach at Harvard, Frank Haggarty, has also agreed to look after him over the summer months. Last week Darren ran back to back 1:47 times for 800m, times that broke a 33 year old Harvard record. In making the 800m final of the American collegiate track and field championships he also became one of the handful of Irish runners to gain that distinction, with Niall O’Shaughnessy and the late Noel Carroll probably the last to qualify at 800m. Robert Stephens is an investment bank heavily focused on high-tech startups in the Silicon Valley area. Darren had been scheduled to join them as an Analyst on July 6th. Click here for an interview with Darren on the Irish Runner website.