Athletics News: The Irish men's team to compete in the European Cross Country Championships in Tilburg, Holland, on Sunday suffered a major blow yesterday afternoon with the withdrawal of Alastair Cragg from the squad.

Cragg, who had recently returned to competition in the US, felt unwell after a training session in Arkansas yesterday and postponed his flight until today. However, he was still suffering from flu-like symptoms yesterday and decided not to travel.

"It's disappointing but unless I could be 100 per cent there is no point in going to such a competitive race," he said.

Cragg had targeted Tilburg in the hope of bridging a gap back to 1994. Ireland's first gold medal in the European Cross Country Championships fell to Catherina McKiernan in the inaugural running that year, and since then no Irish runner has seriously threatened to emulate her.

The 25-year-old Cragg, born in South Africa but Ireland-qualified in recent years, and based in Arkansas, was seen as a real prospect for individual gold.

Having won European indoor 3,000-metre gold last spring, he had incurred a stress fracture in his lower back and missed the European track championships in Helsinki. He twisted an ankle last month in a comeback cross-country race, but has since shown good form on the roads, winning over 10 kilometres in Arkansas and posting second in Manchester Connecticut.

The disappointment of missing another major championship will therefore be huge, and his main aim now is to be race fit for the European Championships next summer, where again he will be aiming for a podium finish.

Cragg's withdrawal throws focus on the women's senior team, led by Jolene Byrne, who won her first Intercounties cross-country title last Sunday week.

After a 16th place in Heringsdorf last year, Byrne hopes to improve her placing and will be confident as she appears to be in even better form than she was then. But that may not be enough to threaten last year's winner, Britain's Hayley Yelling, also running well of late.

Ireland's junior men, led by the European junior silver medallist over 1,500m, Danny Darcy, would have expected to challenge for team medals but have also been depleted, the European junior gold medallist Colin Costello another late withdrawal with flu.

MEN: M Fagan (Mullingar), G Murray (St Malachy's), M Kenneally (Cloliffe), G Turnbull (St Malachy's), D Kelly (Sligo), Paul McNamara (Athenry). WOMEN: J Byrne (Donore), F Britton (Slí Cualann), R Ryan (Bilboa), A Byrne (DSD), O O'Mahony (Raheny), M Cullen (Sligo). JUNIOR MEN: M Clohessy (Raheny), K Lawlor (St Laurence O'Toole), P Pollack (Abbey AC), D Darcy (St Laurence O'Toole), D Bermingham (Raheny), Brendan O'Neill (DSD). JUNIOR WOMEN: L Byrne (DSD), A Baker (DSD), A Cooke (Youghal), R Galligan (Newbridge), A Gebrezgi (DCH), B Twohig (DSD).