PowellWORLD 100-METRE record holder Asafa Powell said he was "devastated" when he had to withdraw from his pet event at the World Athletics Championships which start on Saturday in the Finnish capital, Helsinki.
Quoted on the International Associations of Athletic Federation's (IAAF) website, Powell said: "I'm devastated. You train with one focus all year and to have that taken away leaves you feeling empty. I hope to be able to run the relay in Helsinki and help bring a medal back to Jamaica."
Powell, who broke the world 100m record by running 9.77 seconds on June 14 in Athens, Greece, pulled up in the 100m final at the Norwich Union Super Grand Prix at Crystal Palace, London, two Fridays ago.
The world's fastest man immediately flew to Munich, Germany, for treatment from homeopathic specialist Dr. Müller-Wohlfhart, who after running a series of MRI and ultrasound scans, found that the sprinter has a 2.5cm tear in his adductor longus muscle in the region of the bone-tendon junction.
Powell's physiotherapist, Mark Young, was also quoted on IAAF's website, saying: "The region of tendon that is torn is particularly slow to heal when compared to a tear in the belly of the muscle".
However, although treatment has gone well and he is on his way back to health, Dr. Müller-Wohlfhart has ruled out the individual 100m for Powell in Helsinki.
Powell's agent, Paul Doyle, said if the 100m was scheduled near the end of the nine-day championships, the sprinter's chances of competing would have been better.
However, it is believed Powell should be able to honour agreements with meet directors after the World Championships.
TO RUN IN ZURICH TDK
He is down to run in the Zurich TDK Golden League on August 19 and has begun negotiations with many other post-Helsinki meets, but Doyle says: "Asafa will not step on the track in the relay or any other meet until we are 100 per cent sure he is healed and 100 per cent fit.
"We will make a decision based on how his training is going as the competitions approach. Asafa needs some time with his coach, Stephen Francis, to be back to top form and for the better part of six weeks coach Francis has only been able to do rehab work with Asafa," Doyle said.
