Devastated Cragg trails in sixth as Gothenburg scars reopen

ALISTAIR CRAGG admitted yesterday that he is still haunted by his experience in the final of the 5,000m at the European outdoor championships in Gothenburg last year.

He was reflecting on a hugely disappointing performance in the 3,000m final at the European Indoor Championships in Birmingham, where he offered no resistance when the Italian outsider, Cosimo Caliandro, stripped him of the title he won in Madrid two years earlier.

Cragg appeared to be launching the decisive attack as the race plan fell into place in Gothenburg but, as quickly as he took up the lead he just stopped and limped off the track.

And yesterday he admitted that if his mind was right he would have got around that track even if he had torn his Achilles tendon in half.

“I don’t want to admit that I gave up but when I look back now it does eat at me,” he said. “The whole year was dedicated to that one race and I wasted that year. That makes me sick.”

He hit rock bottom again in Birmingham having arrived as the second-fastest European athlete.

But Cosimo Caliandro of Italy tore up the ranking list en route to a surprise victory in a modest 8:02.44 secs from the leading European and French record holder, Bouabdellah Tahri, 8:02.85 and the European 5,000m champion, Jesus Espana, 8:02.91.

Alistair Cragg finished sixth in 8:03.70, one place behind another medal favourite, Mo Farah of Great Britain, 8:03.50.

Cragg said his race plan was to go at 500m, put his head down and string it out but that never happened.

“I was hoping someone would take it up at 800m and stretch it out,” he said. “That is why I sat back so I did not have to jump around 12 people.

“I thought Bob Tahri would take it up. He kind of made a half move but he stopped and I guess then my brain turned off.”

Elsewhere at the start of the season Gary Ryan’s national indoor record for 60m stood at 6.73 secs. Yesterday Paul Hession walked away from the final of the 60m at the European championships having run 6.70 secs or better no fewer than eight times.

“But I am actually disappointed,” he said. “Today I had hoped to run 6.60 and that would have got a bronze medal.”

Jason Gardener had won a fourth successive European indoor title in 6.51 secs from his British team mate, Craig Pickering, 6.59, and Frenchman Ronald Pognon, 6.60.

Hession, who set another Irish record at 6.61 seconds the previous day, finished seventh in 6.68.

“It reminded me of the AAA’s,” he said. “I missed something in my pick up. But that’s why I am running indoors, to try and get this right and I have got to be happy with the weekend as a whole.”

James Nolan, having being disqualified for alleged interference, was reinstated on appeal after he finished seventh in the final of the 1,500m in 3:46.34. Liam Reale and Gareth

Turnbull had been eliminated in the semi-finals.

The race resulted in a clean sweep for Spain with Juan Carlos Higuero winning in 3:44.41 from Sergio Gallardo, 3:44.51 and Arturo Casado, 3:44.54.

Nolan had been involved in all the moves until the penultimate lap when the rush for the line began.

Mary Cullen, who will be the favourite to win the national cross-country title in her home town of Sligo next Saturday, finished seventh in the 3,000m in 9:00.42 to justify her ranking.

Lidia Chojecka (Poland), winner of the 1,500m, completed the double in 8:43.25 from the ageless Spaniard, Marta Dominquez (8:44.40) who stripped Sonia O’Sullivan of her

European 5,000m title in Munich a few years ago.