London 2012: Jenny Meadows injury hits Olympic hopes

Former world and European 800m bronze medallist Jenny Meadows has suffered a further setback in her bid to be selected for the Olympics after aggravating her Achilles injury.

She has not raced all year and has now pulled out of Thursday’s 800m semi-finals at the European Championships.

Meadows, 31, faces an anxious wait ahead of Monday’s Olympic selection.

“I know I’m selectable based on my previous seven ‘A’ standards, but it is no longer in my control,” she said

Meadows and the 800m

1 min 59.39 secs

- Meadows’ time to win bronze medal at European Championships (Barcelona, 2010)

1 min 58.60 secs

- Meadows’ best run in 2011 (Crystal Palace, 2011)

1 min 57.93 secs

- Meadows’ personal best (Berlin, 2009)

1 min 54.82 secs

- current Olympic-winning time (Pamela Jelimo, Beijing, 2008)

1 min 53.28 secs

- world record (Jarmila Kratochvilova, Munich, 1983)

Meadows

secured the 800m bronze medal at the World Championships three years ago

and followed up with bronze at the 2010 European championships.

“It has been a battle to get back to full fitness after suffering an Achilles tear earlier this year,” said Meadows.

Meadows said she “has never been fitter” having trained intensively throughout winter, and that she was “ready to come here [Helsinki] and compete for a medal”.

Meadows, who also had to pull out of the GB Olympic trials, blames her injury on the flight to Helsinki.

“My injury seems to have reacted badly to the flight and whilst we all genuinely believed I would be ready to get to the start line, this setback means I’m so close yet so far,” she said.

Meadows is still in the running for Team GB despite her injury as there are three spots available, although Lynsey Sharp and Jemma Simpson – who finished first and second in the trials – could fill two places by recording the ‘A’ standard of one minute 59.90 seconds at the European Championships.

If Sharp and Simpson qualify, Meadows will have to rely upon the UK Athletics selection panel to pick her in the

discretionary third spot.

The highlight of the second day of the European Championships is set to be the men’s 100m final, where Harry Aikines-Aryeetey will represent Britain..

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London 2012: Jenny Meadows injury hits Olympic hopes