Mountain biker's Olympic medal dreams shattered?
PR dla Zagranicy
Peter Gentle
23.07.2012 08:38
Former world champion mountain biker Maja Włoszczowska's dream of an Olympic gold medal could be be over after she suffered an injury to her right foot during training.
Maja Włoszczowska - photo - PAP/Grzegorz Momot (arch)
Returning home to Poland from Italy, Sunday evening, with her leg in plaster, Włoszczowska – who won the world championship in 2010 - said she would be having a scan on Monday to see how serious the injury is.
“First of all, I'm damn sorry that so many fans believed in me and so many people have been helping me prepare for London,” the mountain biker who is one of the few hopes Poland has of success at the London Olympics which begin on 27 July, told reporters.
It is possible that she has broken the metatarsal bone in her foot – which normally takes around four weeks to heal, though athletes gerally return to training before then – but there could also be a rupture of ligaments, which would keep Włoszczowska, who suffered the injury at her training camp in Livigno, Italy, out of competition for far longer.
“If I can take part then I will,” she said.
The women's cross country mountain bike final takes place on 11 August. (pg)