Blake, Rudisha out of World Championship

Yohan Blake and David Rudisha will not defend their titles at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow next month as both athletes are injured.

Blake, who won the 100m gold medal in Daegu two years ago, has been battling a hamstring injury since April.

He did not compete at the Jamaican Championships, but as the defending World champion, he had the benefit of a wildcard entry for Moscow. However, he recently realised that his injury would not have sufficiently healed in time to compete at the World Championships.

“This decision was made after continual assessment and re-evaluations since his withdrawal from the Jamaican Senior Championships,” said Blake’s manager Cubie Seegobin.

“Yohan has made vast improvement, although the injury sustained in April of this year has prevented him from attaining the necessary fitness levels that we have grown accustomed to seeing in his competition performances.”

Rudisha, meanwhile, has been out of action since May when he felt pain in his knee on his way to winning the 800m at the New York Grand Prix.

Winner of the 800m at the 2011 World Championships, Rudisha will not be present in Moscow after his coach, Colm O’Connell, decided not to rush Rudisha’s recovery.

Source: IAAF