INJURY setbacks have become second nature to Nathan Douglas – but the triple jumper has vowed not to let his latest stint on the treatment table stop him qualifying for the European Championships in Barcelona in July.
Douglas hasn’t been the same since claiming silver at the European Champion-ships in 2006, rupturing a hamstring one year on and undergoing knee surgery after the Beijing Olympics.
The Oxford City ace looked back to somewhere near his best last summer as he reached the World Championships in Berlin, only to suffer a hamstring strain a month before the event.
The 27-year-old beat the odds to compete in Berlin, but was unable to get anywhere near his season’s best, with a best jump of 16.79m only good enough for tenth.
Douglas’s injury curse struck again during the indoor season as he aggravated his hamstring, but despite admitting he is in the dark over his competitive comeback, the double Olympian vowed to do everything in his power to qualify for the Europeans.
“I had another hamstring problem in February, it isn’t ideal, but I am in this situation and I have got to deal with it and push on,” said Douglas, who is in Italy at an Aviva-funded warm-weather training camp.
“Even though I know I am going to be behind others competing I can’t wait around too long because the European Championships are early this year.
“I absolutely want to go to the trials at the end of June that is one of my aims for sure and because the Europeans are early the trials are early and you have to start performing early.
“It isn’t an ideal situation, but I will be giving it 100 per cent.”
Despite his latest injury setback, Douglas is determined to remain positive ahead of a busy summer that could yet include the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
But while Douglas is adamant he can recover in time to challenge for medals in the Spanish city, he admitted his injury woes had cost him dear during last year’s World Championships.
“Injuries have held me back and it isn’t nice, but I am going to see what I can do,” he added.
“When I think back to the worlds in Berlin I should be pleased, because at the time I had my hamstring problem.
“I wanted to get a medal when I got into the final.
“I wasn’t sure how many jumps I had in me, but I thought I would go for it during the first three rounds.
“I wasn’t as sharp and I wasn’t able to get that rhythm going that I needed to get a medal.
“But I have had so many setbacks that I believe I can overcome anything and I will fight to get through it.
“I look at this and I look at that, but I want to get to the European Championships, get in shape for them and obviously fight for a medal when I get there.”
- Nathan Douglas is a member of the Aviva GB & NI Team and is warm weather training in Italy ahead of the outdoor season. Find out more at aviva.co.uk/athletics.
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