ATHLETICS/Cork Sports: Given how rarely he gets to race in Ireland, it's understandable Alistair Cragg is well hyped up for this afternoon's Cork City Sports. In fact, when Cragg lines up for the 3,000 metres it will be only his third race on adopted home soil since declaring for Ireland four years ago.
Clearly he wants to win, yet Cragg admits it's only a stepping stone toward his main goals of the summer: winning the European Championships in Gothenburg next month and joining the elite club of sub-13-minute men for 5,000 metres. That second goal could happen as early as next Friday when he runs in a Golden League meeting in Paris.
"I want nothing to interfere with my preparations for the European Championships," said Cragg on his arrival in Cork yesterday. "And I'm gearing for a summer peak in Gothenburg. But the race in Paris is also important because I'm gearing myself for sub-13-minutes, which is something I feel I'm capable of achieving this summer.
"In Paris there are likely to be 12 Africans, between Kenyans and Ethiopians, who will be running at sub-13-minute pace, and that is the type of race that I want to be part of. It will be solid running all the way, and that is what I like."
While born in South Africa, Cragg qualified to run for Ireland through his grandparents, and a sub-13-minute clocking for 5,000 metres is still seen as one of the great benchmarks in distance running. Only three non-African-born runners have done so: American Bob Kennedy, Germany's Dieter Baumann and, more recently, Craig Mottram of Australia.
Mottram was set to run in Cork before a foot injury ruled him out, although the organisers have still assembled a quality field that includes the Kenyans Boaz Cheboiywo and Moses Kipsiro - as well as all the best of the Irish.
European indoor 400 metres champion David Gillick has switched to the 200 metres and there should be a particularly fast 1,500 metres with the Kenyan Laban Rotich in the field.
