Pickering injury depresses Great Britain sprint squad

(BEIJING, June 17) -- The British athletics 4 x 100m relay squad faces disarray with injury to one of their top sprinters, Craig Pickering, ahead of this weekend's, European Cup.

The 21-year-old British sprinter has suffered a hamstring injury and will miss the event being held at June 21 -22, in Annecy, France.

Eight teams compete for the men's 4 x 100m relay -- France, Germany, Spain, Greece, Italy, Poland, Russia, and Britain.

The British team, OIympic gold medalists at Athens 2004, will be affected by Pickering's absence, having already been hit by British No1 Mark Lewis-Francis being ruled out for the season through injury.

Pickering also missed the World Indoor Championships in March because of the same injury and has run only once this summer.

He had an impressive 2007 season indoor season -- winning the silver medal in the men's 60m at the 2007 European Athletics Indoor Championships and a bronze medal with the British sprint team in the World Championship in the outdoor season.

He burst on the scene in 2005 when, as an 18 year-old, he beat Olympic relay gold medal winner Darren Campbell at an international meting in Bedford in 2005. He is currently based at the Marshall Milton Keynes Athletics Club and Bath University.

His absence will cause big trouble for the British squad. Pickering's coach, Malcolm Arnold, told The Telegraph in the UK: "It was a bit more serious than we first thought and with the Olympics coming up, if he ran at the European Cup and something went bang it could be the end of his season."

UK Athletics performance director Dave Collins told BBC Sport: "Obviously Craig's focus is on getting to Beijing in top form."

World Indoor Championship finalist, Simeon Williamson, considered to the best young sprinter in Britain, will replace Pickering at the European Cup. Tyrone Edgar, the fastest Briton over 100m this season, will contest the individual race in France

Pickering isn't the only British athlete with injury concerns. Lee McConnell and Tim Benjamin have also withdrawn from their respective 4x400m relay teams at the European Cup, while Michael Rimmer has pulled out of the 800m.

Heptathlete Jessica Ennis is ruled out of Beijing 2008, and marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe remains a doubt with a stress fracture.