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Injured Rawlinson out of Olympics
Thursday, 10 July, 2008
Jana Rawlinson (Getty)
An injured toe has ended two-time 400m hurdles world champion Jana Rawlinson's dreams of bringing an Olympic gold medal home to Australia.
Rawlinson was forced to pull out of the athletics squad to travel to Beijing just hours after its lineup was revealed, four years after a knee injury wrecked her chances at the Athens Olympics.
IN DEPTH: Road to Beijing minisite
The hurdler raced on in 2004, taking part in the games just 15 days on from surgery. She eventually finished fifth in the 400m event final.
But this year the 25-year-old and her coach and husband Chris Rawlinson have decided she must withdraw, so as not to risk further injury.
London 2012 hopes
Instead she will concentrate her efforts on boosting her health in time for next year's World Championships in Berlin - and look ahead to the 2012 Olympics in London.
Rawlinson underwent surgery to remove cartilage from the second toe on her right foot in January, but complications from the injury have caused problems in her back, calf and Achilles tendon.
Last week she ran her first race in nine months, having struggled ever since she won her second world title in Osaka, Japan, in August.
"My toe fared quite well," mother-of-one Rawlinson said after her comeback race at a low key meeting in Poland.
"But as it has been throughout the whole injury, it's a day-to-day prospect so I will see how I wake up tomorrow and take it from there."
Sadly for the Australian team, the athlete has decided not to risk an appearance in Beijing.
Source: SBS staff and agencies
Rawlinson was forced to pull out of the athletics squad to travel to Beijing just hours after its lineup was revealed, four years after a knee injury wrecked her chances at the Athens Olympics.
IN DEPTH: Road to Beijing minisite
The hurdler raced on in 2004, taking part in the games just 15 days on from surgery. She eventually finished fifth in the 400m event final.
But this year the 25-year-old and her coach and husband Chris Rawlinson have decided she must withdraw, so as not to risk further injury.
London 2012 hopes
Instead she will concentrate her efforts on boosting her health in time for next year's World Championships in Berlin - and look ahead to the 2012 Olympics in London.
Rawlinson underwent surgery to remove cartilage from the second toe on her right foot in January, but complications from the injury have caused problems in her back, calf and Achilles tendon.
Last week she ran her first race in nine months, having struggled ever since she won her second world title in Osaka, Japan, in August.
"My toe fared quite well," mother-of-one Rawlinson said after her comeback race at a low key meeting in Poland.
"But as it has been throughout the whole injury, it's a day-to-day prospect so I will see how I wake up tomorrow and take it from there."
Sadly for the Australian team, the athlete has decided not to risk an appearance in Beijing.
Source: SBS staff and agencies
