Cragg hopes to hang on to east Africans

ATHLETICS:THIRTY YEARS ago, practically to the day, 20-year-old John Treacy won the World Cross Country at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow, beating the powerful Russian Aleksandr Antipov by a mere three seconds.

The first African finisher that day was Adelaziz Bouguerra of Tunisia, in 12th. There wasn't a Kenyan or Ethiopian in sight.

Tomorrow, when the event returns to Scotland, this time at Holyrood Park in Edinburgh, the Kenyans and Ethiopians are certain to dominate. The chances of an Irish medal are non-existent.

Ireland's best men's finisher in recent years is Alistair Cragg, who posted 16th in Brussels in 2004. This will be his first appearance since. When he talks about the African challenge, it's not strictly them against us, as he was born in South Africa, but they now hold an apparently insurmountable gap on the rest of the world.

"It's the truth," he says. "For the last 10 years, it's very seldom that someone who didn't grow up in the Rift Valley area has got a medal. Sonia O'Sullivan was probably the last to actually dominate.

"A lot of the African teams go out hard, and if four of them survive, they survive. They've got nothing to lose, with team-mates backing them up all over the place. It's not survival of the fittest for me. It's survival of myself.

"I think I can still run a good cross-country race. I've just neglected it for the last three or four years. I've just excelled on the track and was too tempted to stay with that. But this year we've stayed off the track completely, with Beijing in mind. It was more important to build a base that would last a little longer through the summer.

"And I'm probably in the shape of my life right now. So I'm hoping I can break into the top 10, if I run carefully. But I know it's going to be a rough day. I know at the World Cross Country, you don't feel comfortable, ever. It's 12 kilometres at a very fast pace."

Fionnuala Britton finished an excellent 14th in Kenya last year, and could also make the top 10 if everything goes to plan.

However, the team hopes aren't great. Withdrawals on the men's side (Keith Kelly and Chris Cariss) mean only seven will run, instead of nine, and while Linda Byrne is also capable of a high finish, the depth simply isn't there.

Ireland's two best junior women, Charlotte and Rebecca ffrench-O'Carroll, have exams so are not running, though the soft ground should suit the two leading junior men, Michael Mulhare and Craig Murphy.

TOMORROW: 1pm: Junior women; 1:30: Junior men; 2:05: Senior women; 2:45: Senior men. (TV: BBC2, Sunday, 2.0-3.30).

IRELAND - Senior Men: A Cragg (Clonliffe Harriers), V Mulvey (Raheny Shamrocks), M Clohissey (Raheny Shamrocks), B Maher (Kilkenny City Harriers), P McNamara (Athenry AC), G Thornton (Galway City Harriers), A Ledwith (Fr Murphy AC). Senior Women: F Britton (Slí Chulainn), A Kealy (Raheny Shamrocks), L Byrne (Dundrum South Dublin), O O'Mahoney (Raheny Shamrocks), D Byrne (Slí Chulainn), S McCormack (Lagan Valley AC). Junior Men: M Mulhare (North Laois AC), C Murphy (Togher AC), I Ward (Finn Valley AC), D Flynn (Clonliffe Harriers), L Tremble (Metro/St Brigid's AC), P Hogan (Ferrybank AC). Junior Women: SL Treacy (Moynalvey/Kilcoon AC), P Barry (Ferrybank AC).