The Hindu : Sport / Athletics : World Championships: list of casualties keep on mounting

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 03, 2005

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Sport - Athletics

World Championships: list of casualties keep on mounting

HELSINKI: Injuries are taking a heavy toll on the athletics World Championships.

The list of no-shows grew on Monday when Olympic hammer throw champion Koji Murofushi of Japan withdrew because of a lingering rib injury and three-time Olympic javelin champion Jan Zelezny pulled out with an Achilles tendon injury.

The 39-year-old Zelezny, the reigning world-record holder, would have been seeking his fourth World title after winning in 1993, 1995 and 2001.

Other big names who have bowed out of the championships, starting on August 6, include 100m world-record holder Asafa Powell, Hicham el Guerrouj, Kelly Holmes, Jana Pittman and Christian Olsson.

``It is regrettable that Powell will not be here and that the others are injured, but we have to take it in our stride,'' IAAF president Lamine Diack said. ``It will have no impact. There are always injuries, but this is the World Championships.''

Powell, a 22-year-old Jamaican, became the world's fastest man when he lowered the 100m mark to 9.77s in June. He pulled out of the 100m over the weekend because of a groin injury, but may still compete in the relay. ``He's devastated,'' his agent Paul Doyle said.

Powell had run the three fastest times of the season. His withdrawal makes American sprinter Justin Gatlin a heavy favourite to add the World crown to his Olympic gold medal from Athens last year.

In trouble again

Pittman won't defend her 400m hurdles title because of a bad back. It's the second time in as many years that injury has ruined the Australian's season. She underwent knee surgery just weeks before last year's Athens Olympics.

El Guerrouj won the 1,500 and the 5,000m in Athens, but tonsillitis forced the Moroccan to withdraw from the World Championships last week. He has a farewell season planned for 2006.

Holmes, the British 800 and 1,500m champion from Athens, is out with an Achilles tendon problem.

In triple jump, Olympic champion Olsson didn't have enough time to prepare for the defence of his title after he was slowed by two operations on his feet.

Also, Olympic champion Shawn Crawford withdrew from the 200m because of a lingering foot injury.

The World Championships will also miss Marion Jones, a five-time Olympic medallist in 2000 who pulled out with a hip injury at the U.S. trials after being dogged by doping allegations all season. Her boyfriend and former 100m record-holder Tim Montgomery also pulled out of the trials. — AP

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