NATHAN Douglas is concerned for the future of athletics after not being selected for this month’s IAAF World Championships in Beijing.

The Oxford City triple jumper says he was not chosen because the Great Britain selection panel felt he could not challenge in the final.

Douglas missed out on automatic selection after only making the qualification standard of 16.94m once.

He was denied the chance to jump it a second time when forced to pull out of the Hérculis Diamond League in Monaco with a thigh injury.

Douglas, along with six other athletes, contested his omission, but the appeal was dismissed, leaving the 32-year-old very frustrated.

He said: "I said to them I would like to get the minutes from the selection (meeting).

"They felt I could not realistically make a top eight position in Beijing."

Douglas added: “It does concern me a little bit.

“What I am finding is, and this might come from higher up but, they almost want guaranteed medals – and there is no guarantee in sport.


“Before the 2004 Olympic Games Kelly Holmes suffered quite badly with injuries and, in this system we have got now, would she have even gone to those games and won two golds?

“You are taking away from the sport the fact people go to the championships as an underdog and we love to see them step up and win a medal – it is part of the excitement."

“For the younger triple jumpers I am not going to be there to inspire them.”

Douglas, who is a double Olympian, has struggled with injuries throughout his career and had targeted Beijing as an opportunity to return to the world stage.

Despite thigh strains ruling him out of the European Team Championships earlier this year, Douglas feels selection would have been a stepping stone to next year’s Rio Olympics.

He added: “It would have been nice for them to show some faith in me and give me time to get back on the world stage.

“I am sure they would have questioned my fitness, but it would have been good for them to say ‘we will put you through a fitness test’.”