Runs excellent sprint (4)
I believe the answer is:
race
'sprint' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'runs excellent' is the wordplay.
'runs' becomes 'r' (cricket abbreviation).
'excellent' becomes 'ace' (I've seen this before).
'r'+'ace'='RACE'
(Other definitions for race that I've seen before include "Participate in speed contest" , "Speed competition" , "Career - people" , "Rapid current" , "Contest; zoom" .)