Doctor rules Powell out of individual 100 m

IAAF
Saturday, July 30, 2005



POWELL ... you train with one focus all year and to have that taken
away leaves you feeling empty
Dr Müller-Wohlfhart has ruled world 100-metre record holder Asafa
Powell out of the individual 100 metres at next month's World
Championships in Helsinki, Finland.

Powell, who earlier this year broke the World 100m record in a
blazing time of 9.77 seconds, went down with a groin injury last
Friday night in the 100m final at the Norwich Union Super Grand Prix
at Crystal Palace, London.

Immediately after the injury was sustained, Powell flew to Munich,
Germany, for treatment from homeopathic specialist Dr Müller-
Wohlfhart.

After a series of MRI and ultrasound scans, it was determined that
he had a 2.5cm tear in his adductor longus muscle in the region of
the Bone-Tendon junction. His physiotherapist Mark Young
stated, "the region of tendon that is torn is particularly slow to
heal when compared to a tear in the belly of the muscle".

Dr Müller-Wohlfhart was initially doubtful that Powell would be
ready to run by August 6 (100m heats in Helsinki), and although
treatment has gone well and he is on his way back to health, the
doctor is still ruling out the individual 100m in Helsinki.

Powell's agent Paul Doyle is equally concerned for his possibilities
in Helsinki. "It's the type of situation where if the 100m race was
on at the end of the Championships, we would be very optimistic of
his chances. Every day and every hour counts in healing an injury
like this."

Powell himself was reluctant to comment, but did say that he
was "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".

He has been marked down to run in the Zurich TDK Golden League on
August 19, and has begun negotiations for many other post-Helsinki
meets, but Doyle said, "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. Zurich will be exactly four weeks post-injury,
which should be sufficient time to be ready, but we cannot risk any
further injury. 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."