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Cronje to run in Brussels

Cape Town - IAAF World Championships 1 500m bronze medallist Johan Cronje will be South Africa's only representative in the final Diamond League meeting of the season in Brussels on Friday night.

Cronje said on Wednesday he was delighted to be included in the field, although he had been entered in the men's 800m 'B' race in Brussels.

"I'm not disappointed at all," Cronje said.

"As with so many things in life you have to earn your spot."

The 31-year-old middle-distance specialist clocked a career best of 1:45.64 at the World Challenge meeting in Berlin last week.

If he had been faster in that race, Cronje believed he would have been included in the 'A' field this week.

He was set to face a strong line-up in Brussels, including former European Championships bronze medallist Michael Rimmer of Britain.

"If I finished up front in Berlin my chances would have been better to run the 'A' race, but I wasn't, and that showed that I am not ready to take them on over 800m yet. Maybe next year?" he said.

"The 'B' race is packed with guys with faster PB's than mine so I will not have it easy in there either."

He believed he was more prepared for a race over seven-and-a-half laps, and could have broken the national record of 7:41.06, held by Juan van Deventer, had there been a 3 000m race on the schedule.

"I'm actually disappointed not to be able to run a 3 000m now," he said.

"I feel my training was more 1 500m/3 000m orientated up to now so a sub 7:40 was definitely on the cards."

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