Injury halts young gun's Euro hopes

9:17am Wednesday 27th June 2007

Injury has forced world junior and youth 100m champion Harry Aikines-Aryeetey to abandon plans for his third major title in as many years at the European Junior Championships in Hengelo, Holland, next month.

The 18-year-old Sutton & District athete, who last competed when he won the England Athletics Junior indoor 60m title indoors at Birmingham at the end of Feburary, has been sidelined by a double stress fracture in his back that will most likely rule him out of racing for the summer.

The news was announced as hundreds of athletes prepared for the England Athletics U23 and U20 Championships - incorporating the European Trials - at Bedford last weekend.

Aikines-Aryeetey's coach Matt Favier, the UK Athletics performance manager for London, declared his charge would not be fit for Hengelo despite improvements to the injury.

"Harry is going well with his cross training and rehabilitation," Favier said.

"His injury appears to be healing well and the medical team remain positive about his return to full training for 2007-08. But he is not likely to race this year.

"It is more important that he enables the fracture to heal fully so his longer-term career is not compromised."

Favier said Aikines-Aryeetey was disappointed to miss the European junior titles, running from July 10-22, and the chance to improve on his achievements of 2005, when he became the first sprinter to win the 100m and 200m at World Youth Championships, and 2006, when he won the world junior 100m in Beijing.

"Harry is frustrated but he recognises that, for him to be in a position to go back to Beijing to run in the 100m at the 2008 Olympics - and be competitive - it is important that he follow the advice of the medical team," the coach said.

Favier also confirmed the teenager would be moving from London to the UKA High Performance Athletics Centre Loughborough to train with Michael Khmel.

"This move has been planned for some time, and has my support," he said.

"My wish for Harry is that he maximises his talent and realise his potential, which is to win Olympic gold in the 100m."