Eamonn Condon
Thu, 28 Jun 2001 12:29:13 -0700
The Irish Times June 28th, 2001 Former double Olympic champion Svetlana Masterkova will not defend her 1,500 metres title at this year's world championships in Edmonton. "She has recovered from injuries but won't be able to regain her full fitness in time for the world championships," Russia's head athletics coach Valery Kulichenko said today. Masterkova, 33, who won the 800 and 1,500 metres double at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and claimed the 1,500 title at the 1999 world championships in Seville, has been hampered by achilles tendon injuries in both ankles for the last two years. After undergoing surgery on both ankles last year, she tried to make a comeback at the Sydney Olympics, but was forced to pull out of her opening 1,500 metres heat. "She tried to come back too soon in Sydney and it didn't work, so she has decided to skip this season altogether to prepare for next year," Kulichenko said. Masterkova's absence from the August championships in Canada is a further blow to the Russian team which is already hampered by the withdrawal of Irina Privalova. The Olympic 400 metres hurdles champion is out for the season after tearing knee ligaments in training three months ago. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com