Injured Rawlinson Out of Olympics

Luckless Jana Rawlinson has been struck down
again by her Olympic curse, with the two-time 400m hurdles world
champion pulling out of the Beijing Games with a toe injury.

The
Australian had finally returned to competition last week, five months
after undergoing surgery to the second toe on her right foot.

Rawlinson, 25, finished second at the low-key meet in Poland in a sluggish time of 55.94 seconds.

But the writing was on the wall when she was unable to resume training after the race in Poland.

Rawlinson
and 50km walker Nathan Deakes - who is also battling a longstanding
hamstring injury - were considered Australia's best two track and field
gold medal hopes in Beijing.

The latest setback comes four years
after her Athens Olympic campaign was cruelled by a knee injury
suffered two weeks before the 2004 Games - when she was also the hot
gold medal favourite.

On that occasion, Rawlinson made a remarkable recovery and finished fifth in the Olympic final behind Greek hurdler Fani Halkia.

This time, she and her coach and husband Chris Rawlinson decided that the only decision was to pull out now.

Complications with the toe injury have also caused problems in her back, calf and Achilles tendon.

"I've
tried everything medically possible to make myself ready for the Games
but unfortunately with the culmination of injuries that I've had over
the past six months it became apparent to me that I wouldn't be able to
compete in the Games," Rawlinson said from her training base in
Loughborough, England.

"I'm very upset because the Olympic Games
has always been a dream of mine, but I'm trying to remain positive and
I'm looking beyond the Olympics to other challenges.

"I haven't
been able to train for more than two days straight over the past 26
weeks, so I'm not arrogant enough to think that on the basis I'd be
able to compete at the Olympics.

"I can't remember the last time
I was able to wake up in the morning first thing and walk to the
bathroom without being in pain."

The field for the women's 400m
hurdles in Beijing appears weak, with world record holder Yuliya
Pechonkina of Russia (heart problems) almost certain to be absent.

Americans
Lashinda Demus and Christine Spence, ranked No.1 and No.3 in the world
this year, also failed to qualify after finishing outside the top three
at last week's cut-throat US trials.

Rawlinson won a famous victory at last year's world championships in Osaka, eight months after giving birth to her son Cornelis.

After
taking a break to get the toe injury right, she will shift her
attention to next year's world championships in Berlin, where she could
become the first Australian to win three world track and field titles.

The 2012 London Olympics also remain firmly on the agenda.

"I
love my sport too much to end on this note so I can definitely say that
I will be setting my sights on the next goal which will hopefully be
the world championships next year," she said.

She won the 2003 and 2007 world championships, but was forced to miss the 2005 titles with a stress fracture in her back.

Athletics
Australia chief executive Danny Corcoran said he and everyone at AA was
shattered by the news of Rawlinson's latest setback.

"All our
thoughts at this time are with this young woman who has had her dream
shattered... the women who last year took on the world and won the
world title eight months after having a baby, and who was looking
forward to having a very successful Olympics," he said.

"Our thoughts are only with her at this time.

"It's not about the team, it's not about the Olympic Games, it's the disappointment that she must be feeling."

Rawlinson is expected to front a media conference on her return to Australia in the next few days.