Thursday, August 10, 2006

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AFP): Reigning Olympic 200m champion Veronica Campbell of Jamaica will miss the remainder of the 2006 athletics season because of a quad injury, Campbell's manager Claude Bryan told AFP Wednesday.

Campbell, runner-up in the 100m at last year's world championship, was hurt on June 11 at a meet in Gateshead, England.

Initially, an ultra-sound scan revealed a tear to the quad and the prognosis was eight weeks for full recovery.

But Bryan said it will be best to pull the sprinter from the rest of the season, adding the decision was taken after medical consultation and was mutually agreed given the importance of the next three years.

"It is the same quad injury," he said. "We just decided that in the interest of the athlete's career to call it a day."

Campbell, 24, suffered the injury when she entered the home stretch of the 200m. She showed discomfort as she came off the turn. Shortly after, she fell to the ground 80m from the finish line, after which she was taken away in a wheelchair.

Campbell, the Commonwealth Games 200m silver medallist, has been affected by injuries since her days at Barton County College.

The injury will knock Campbell out of the 10th IAAF World Cup next month at Athens.

Campbell's withdrawal mean that Jamaica's Sherone Simpson and Cydonie Mothersill of the Cayman Islands will replace her in the 100m and 200m respectively.

Campbell leads the world 100m event with 1368 points but trailed American world champion Allyson Felix 1366 to 1320 in the 200m.

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