Hession and Cragg top rankings

IRELAND has two athletes at the top of the European rankings after an exciting weekend that saw Paul Hession (Athenry) run the fastest 200m by a European this year at the Woodies DIY national track and field championships at Morton Stadium and Alistair Cragg post the fastest 5,000m by a European at a meet in Brasschaat, Belgium.

Having broken the 200m record in Sheffield where he posted a smart 20.44 secs, Hession was hardly expected to repeat that performance within a week.

Conditions were perfect at Santry on Saturday afternoon when he went to the blocks and he blazed to a sensational 20.30 secs and that was marginally quicker than Marlon Devonish who topped the European rankings.