Cragg determined to give it everything in pursuit of medal

ALISTAIR CRAGG has endured 12 months of injury and illness since he won the European indoor title over 3,000 metres in Madrid but, half a continent away from his greatest success, he showed in Moscow yesterday he was back to something approaching his best.

The South African-born and US-based runner was mature enough to recover from a mid-race stumble in the heats of the 3,000 metres at the World Indoor Championships and finished fourth in his race to qualify automatically for tomorrow’s final.

Cragg has run significantly faster than the 7 minutes 53.74 seconds he clocked when he crossed the line in the Russian capital but the result was enough to give him a modicum of confidence that he can become Ireland’s first medal winner in the event since Frank O’Mara got the second of his world indoor victories in 1991.