Alistair Cragg got over the disappointment of missing last weekend's National Championships by running the fastest 3000 metres of his career tonight at the IAAF Super Grand Prix meeting in Monaco.
Having missed the Nationals due to a calf injury, Cragg returned to the track to clock 7 minutes, 32.49 seconds for third place in a high-quality race at the Stade Louis II.
The time easily beat his previous outdoor best of 7:38.96 which he set in Brussels in 2004, and edged him ever closer to Mark Carroll's Irish record of 7:30.36 which has stood since 1999.
The 27-year-old Cragg was pipped to the line in Monaco by Uganda's Moses Kipsiro (7:32.03), with Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia, the world leader over the distance, taking the win in 7:29.32.
Ominously, Bekele showed a touch of class to dominate the race after the last pacemaker had dropped out. The World and Olympic 10000m champion led over the last three laps to gain another confidence-building victory, while the next three runners home all clocked personal bests.
