Cragg finishes 17th and then defends Irish performances

Alistair Cragg last night defended the performances of Irish athletes competing at the Olympic Games.

Cragg yesterday failed to qualify from his 5,000m heat – the fastest in Olympic history — finishing 17th of a 21-man field in 13:47.01 in a race won by Ethopia’s Dejen Gebremeskel in 13:15.15.

Afterwards the 31-year-old said he was unaware of criticism of his team-mates in Ireland following a less than stellar five days on the track. But Cragg, the Irish 5,000m and 10,000m record holder, insisted such attacks were unjustified.