BUPA GREAT IRELAND RUN COMMONWEALTH 5,000 metres silver medallist Craig Mottram insists Australia is the only country he wants to compete for.

The 25-year-old holds a British passport . . . his mother is Scottish and his father is English . . . but he has refuted suggestions he could one day switch allegiances.

"No chance . . . I'm an Aussie and that's the only country I want to run for, " said Mottram, who owns a house in London and commutes from there to IAAF Golden League and Grand Prix meetings during the summer.

Mottram will today chase a fourth successive victory at the BUPA Great Ireland Run, adding: "I always run here each year, it is a great venue and the ideal way to have a good run-out before the track season."

He has performed well in the last three years at Phoenix Park but believes the presence of Sergiy Lebid will stretch him.

Lebid is a formidable distance runner and picked up a sixth consecutive European cross-country crown in December but missed last weekend's IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

Instead, the 30-year-old Ukrainian has been training hard in Italy and is determined to make an impact over 5,000m and 10,000m at the European Championships in August.

"I don't know what kind of shape he will be in and how he will cope with the hills around the course, but I'm all right and looking forward to making it a fourth success, " said Mottram.

Meselech Melkamu, a late replacement for the injured Sonia O'Sullivan, will start favourite for the women's title.

The 20-year-old Ethiopian tackles defending champion Amy Rudolph of the United States, who held-off O'Sullivan in a thrilling finish 12 months ago.

Former Olympic and World 10,000m title holders Fernanda Ribeiro of Portugal and Sally Barsosio from Kenya are also in the field, while Jolene Byrne carries Irish hopes.