Cragg's historic double

Athletics News round-up: With a performance that made American indoor running history, Alistair Cragg on Saturday completed …

Athletics News round-up: With a performance that made American indoor running history, Alistair Cragg on Saturday completed a classic middle distance double at the NCAA championships on his home track at Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Now next weekend's world cross country in Brussels, where Cragg will run the short course 4km race, can't came round quick enough.

Since he declared for Ireland two years ago, Cragg has continued to press his authority on college running in America. But this weekend's double over 3,000-5,000 metres - a feat he also achieved last year - means he will leave Arkansas this summer with five NCAA indoor titles to his name, the most in the college's legendary track history.

It's now only a matter of time before the South African-born Cragg, still only 22, will make a major impact on the world stage, and there is reason to believe Brussels might be that moment.

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Clearly he was in his own class this weekend. On Friday night he defended his 5,000-metre title with a decisive surge over the last 800 metres, winning in 13 minutes 39.63 seconds - the sixth fastest time in the world this year. That also made him the first athlete in NCAA history to win the indoor 5,000-metre title on three successive years.

Back on the track less than 24 hours later for the 3,000 metres, he adopted slightly different tactics this time, and took up the running after 800 metres. From there to the tape he remained in total control, winning in 7:55.29.

Another athlete hoping to make an impact in Brussels is Azmera Gebrezgi, the 18-year-old from Eritrea who also now runs for Ireland. On Saturday she won the senior girls at the Irish Schools Cross Country, staged in Ballyclare in Antrim. The Leaving Cert student from Dominican Convent, Cabra, once again got the better of Linda Byrne from Presentation, Terenure, by two seconds.

Sara Treacy from King's Hospital won the intermediate girls title impressively from Rose Ann Galligan of Newbridge. The senior boy's title went to Andrew Ledwith, the Meath runner who is a pupil at North Monastery, Cork. Ledwith came home six seconds clear of Richard Yeates of St Joseph's, Fairview.

Ian O'Riordan

Ian O'Riordan

Ian O'Riordan is an Irish Times sports journalist writing on athletics