Cragg keeps his cool as Spanish raise the heat

THE Spaniards tried to put down a marker but Alistair Cragg responded by throwing down the gauntlet in the semi-finals of the 5,000m at the European championships in Gothenburg last night where the Irish experienced a mixture of drama and heartbreak, as well as the promise of medal success.

Joanne Cuddihy found Lane 1 an impossible mountain to climb in the final of the women’s 400m at the end of a spectacular campaign at the Ullevi Stadium, while Paul Hession failed in his bid for a place in the final of the men’s 200m.

There was drama in the heats of the women’s 200m when Ciara Sheehy suffered a recurrence of the hamstring injury that kept her out of competitive running for the past three weeks and pulled up on the bend.