Kenyans in control as Rotich wins in style

ALISTAIR CRAGG — who made a late switch from the 3,000m to 1,500m at Saturday’s BUPA Ireland Cork City Sports — had to be content with third place, behind the Kenyan pair of Laban Rotich and Paul Korrir.

“A couple of weeks ago I got a little bit ill but I came back, had a couple of great work-outs an on Tuesday I went to say goodbye to coach and he said ‘look, we got to rethink this 3k’,” Cragg explained. “He just did not want me to come over and run it and be disappointed. So, thanks to the management of this meet, I got a late change and it was great.

“Before I got the bug I was feeling good but when I ran 13:08 I actually felt bad in training. Training had not gone well before. I ran three weeks before that and I was really bad — I came second but there was no heart in it. It was pretty scary.”