Busy Cragg planning double race assault

ALISTAIR CRAGG has his sights set firmly on the European Indoor Championships in Birmingham on March 2/3/4, when he will defend his 3,000m title.

However, he also wants to compete in the World Cross Country Championships later that month in Kenya.

His training is geared towards the European indoors, however, and he is confident he can defend the title he won two years ago in Madrid.

“So far things have been going pretty good and I have had some very satisfactory workouts,” he said yesterday from Arkansas.

“But I have told Athletics Ireland I am also interested in competing in the World Cross-Country Championships in Mombasa on March 24 because I think the course is going to be pretty fast.

“I know there is just one 12k race this year, but the way I train here that should be okay and it should not require any major adjustments. When I mention it to the coach he just looks at me and says nothing. I guess it will be up for discussion nearer to the date.

“I plan a couple of low-key races over the coming weeks. Then I will definitely compete against Craig Mottram at the Boston Indoor games. I will also run in the Tyson Invitational meet, here on the track where I train — that’s a pretty fast track.

“And I have an invitation to compete in the Wannamaker Mile at Madison Square Garden. That would be against Bernard Lagat and Craig Mottram and I would need to be in really good shape to compete against them.”

He could be joined at the Tyson Invitational in Arkansas by Mark Carroll and Gareth Turnbull. Carroll was an important ally throughout the final of the 3,000m in Madrid.

Now the Corkman wants to qualify again and is currently training in Florida with his wife, Amy, and Gareth Turnbull.

“I think that when I said last summer it would be my last time to compete at Cork City Sports, a lot of people took it for granted I was retiring,” Carroll said. “What I said it was my last race at the Mardyke.

“I worked hard in the gym throughout the autumn and I am in pretty good shape right now. Myself and Gareth (Turnbull) have been doing some very good sessions.

“We will both probably race at the Armoury in New York on February 3, the day after the Millrose Games in Madison Square Garden. I ran a 3:54 mile there back in 2000.

“I will contact Alistair (Cragg) and get into a couple of races up in his area. The Tyson Meet is a pretty big meet and we would hope to get a race there.

“We are also looking at some meets in Europe. Gareth will be back home for the National Indoor Championship at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast.”

Derval O’Rourke is currently training in Portugal with a group that includes Ciara Sheehy, Brona Furlong, Leona Byrne and Gemma Hynes.

With coach Jim Kilty, they are based at Villa Real de Santo Antonio, close to the Spanish border, and by all accounts the world indoor 60m hurdles champion has been having some really good sessions.

Cragg and the European Under-23 silver medallist, Fionnuala Britton, are the only two Irish athletes who have so far expressed an interest in the World Cross-Country Championships.

Mary Cullen, who finished sixth in Belfast on Saturday, was offered pre-selection but declined. She will, however, return to her native Sligo for the National Inter-Club Cross-Country Championships on March 10, where her presence will add an exciting dimension to the race.

The AAI Indoor Games will take place at Nenagh on Sunday when the High Performance Committee will begin putting teams in place for the upcoming indoor international meets, including the senior/junior meet in Cardiff.