Athletics News: There won't be any immediate sequel to Alistair Cragg winning the European Indoor title.
A lower back injury has forced Cragg to withdraw from this weekend's World Cross Country in St Etienne, France, thus denying him the chance to win a second major championship medal within a fortnight.
His 3,000 metres victory in Madrid last Saturday week was, as he said himself, practically ideal preparation for the 4km short-course race, and Cragg was more than a little confident he could bring home another medal from St Etienne this Saturday.
Instead, he'll remain at his US base in Arkansas and try to sort out the back injury that has prevented him from doing any running the past five days.
Cragg informed Athletics Ireland of the situation yesterday morning, having given himself every opportunity of making a quick recovery.
"My back just completely froze after an eight-mile run last Friday," he explained. "I've been having difficulty even walking since, but I wanted to try it one more time on Monday before I made a final decision.
"It's very disappointing, but the way my fitness has suffered over the past few days I'm just not in contention for that race anymore, and so there's just no point in travelling."
The early diagnosis is that Cragg is suffering from a suspected pinched nerve, and the injury is not likely to require a prolonged rest. But with the World Championships in Helsinki next August still the main target of the season, he has sensibly avoided any undue risk, and will take his time in recovering over the coming weeks.
"It was the right decision, absolutely," said Athletics Ireland international secretary Liam Hennessy. "I know it must be devastating for him because he has been talking all along about winning a medal out there, as has his coach, John McDonnell.
"He was obviously in tremendous shape at the European Indoors, but it's far more important that he gets himself right again for the summer. In fact, it would have been crazy for him to even contemplate running with a back injury. And hopefully it's only a minor thing and nothing worse."
Cragg was to have been the only Irish entry in Saturday's short-course race, but there won't be any late replacement, and Sunday's 12km long-course race will now feature an Irish team of five - rather than the permitted six.
Also, Belfast's Mary Meade has failed to prove her fitness and as a result the senior women's team will also contain just five athletes.
Although he finished a somewhat disappointing 16th last year in Brussels, Cragg had made it clear that he was in shape to take on the all-conquering Africans, including three-time defending champion Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia, whom he'd already beaten indoors. The 24-year-old quite rightly feared no one.
Yet his withdrawal now follows last month's news that Sonia O'Sullivan didn't feel she was fit enough to take her place on the women's team, although she has recently pronounced herself satisfied with her training for next month's London Marathon.
