Athletics: Holmes still not back to her best

KELLY HOLMES, desperate to realise her huge potential at this year's World Championships after a cruel succession of injuries, gained a measure of just how far she still has to travel here last night.

The 29-year-old former Army sergeant finished back in sixth place over 800 metres in the third International Amateur Athletic Federation Golden League meeting, recording a time of 1min 59.72sec, almost a second slower than she managed just over a fortnight ago.

The race was won by Mozambique's former world champion Maria Mutola, who recorded 1: 58.25 to put an end to any ambitions Russia's Svetlana Masterkova had of claiming a share in the $1m (pounds 650,000) jackpot offered to those going unbeaten throughout the series.

Holmes, who is preparing this season under the guidance of Jo Dunbar, the physiologist who prepared Lennox Lewis for his recent world heavyweight title fight against Evander Holyfield, began cautiously from the outside lane and appeared briefly in danger of losing contact with the other runners. But a strong finish around the final bend pulled her back into the fray although she never looked likely to challenge the leaders.

She will hope to sharpen herself at this weekend's CGU World Trials and AAA's Championships in Birmingham.

Untimely injuries have all but ruined the last three seasons for Holmes. Before last night's effort, she had restricted her racing to two outings, finishing third in the 1500m at Gateshead last month in 4min 06.77sec, and recording 1min 58.86sec for 800m in Budapest on 3 July.

Ashia Hansen, Britain's world indoor triple jump record holder, has pulled out of the World Trials and AAA's, citing an injury. "I have a slight strain, and I want to be cautious so close to the world championship," she said.

According to a reliable source in British athletics, there is no question about the genuineness of Hansen's problem. She has strained a calf muscle, and is unable to jump. Hansen's withdrawal comes a day after a similar decision from Britain's world triple-jump record holder Jonathan Edwards, who misses the trials to avoid exacerbating his long-standing foot problem.

UK Athletics was discomfited yesterday by a brusque response from the International Amateur Athletics Federation over the publication in their newsletter of 400m hurdler Gary Cadogan's name in a list of athletes facing doping charges. Lawyers representing Cadogan have demanded an inquiry and an apology from the IAAF president, Primo Nebiolo, claiming that the publication by the IAAF breached the athlete's right to confidentiality because he has not had a disciplinary hearing.

"This is our procedure and we have to follow it for all the athletes in 210 member countries," an IAAF spokesman said. "You can't have a rule for one country and another rule for another country. If there's a decision made by the national federation in this matter, we give publicity to the decision because we have to bring it to the attention of other national federations.

"I'm sad that this gives problems to UK Athletics, and I'm sorry for this guy. But what can we do? We have not breached our rules, and UK Athletics hasn't breached its rules."