Cragg lags behind in Europeans warm-up

ALISTAIR CRAGG will have to do something special if he is to convert his indoor gold medal-winning performance to the outdoor track at the European championships in Gothenburg the week after next, following last night’s run at the Norwich Union Super Grand Prix in Crystal Palace where he faded to finish seventh in what was by no means a world class 1,500m.

His time — 3:41.64 ­ was well outside his personal best for 1,500m which he set at 3:39.24 three years ago and James Nolan, running below his seasonal best which he set at 3:37.89 in Heusden last Saturday, overtook Cragg on the final lap to finish fifth in 3:40.43. More ominous for Cragg, who ran the leading time by a European this season for 5,000m at 13:08.97 in New York the first weekend in June, was the fact that Mo Farah of Great Britain finished well ahead of him in third place in 3:39.02 and Farah ran the second fastest time ever over 5,000m by a British athlete in Heusden on last Saturday night when he finished sixth in 13:09.40. Cragg will line up alongside Farah in Gothenburg in what should be an interesting duel following last night’s result.

The absence of a pacemaker ruled out a super-fast race and Nolan was up in third place with Cragg fourth when Nick McCormack took the field that included Rui Silva of Portugal, the Olympic bronze medallist in Athens, through an opening lap in 58.47 secs.