Athletics: Injured Winchester to miss discus event

By NICK BROWN

MANCHESTER - New Zealand discus thrower Ian Winchester, who looked a hot prospect for a Commonwealth Games medal, has withdrawn from the Games team because of an injured shoulder.

Winchester, 29, was in the best form of his career until he tore his shoulder ligaments at the Dutch championships this month.

Intensive treatment lessened the pain, but his throwing action was still restricted.

An examination by the New Zealand Games' health team on Saturday indicated that surgery was needed and yesterday Winchester decided to pull out of the Games.

He is booked to fly back to Auckland today.

"I'll see a doctor as soon as I can after getting back,"he said. "The team doctors here told me I may have surgery as soon as Wednesday afternoon or Thursday."

"Basically what I have done is torn the ligaments attaching the pectoralis major - the bulk of the chest muscle - to the shoulder.

"It's not the muscle that's torn and it's basically 100 per cent recoverable once surgery and rehab is done."

Winchester said he would probably be back in training in December. That would give him plenty of time to prepare for his next major target - the world championships in August next year.

"The 2004 Athens Olympics are the pinnacle I'm looking at, but the world champs are a stepping stone," he said.

"I have been in great form up until now. That's the hardest thing to take - coming into the Games Village in the best form of my life and knowing I was capable of going really well. It's been a gut-wrencher."

Winchester threw a New Zealand record 65.03m at Salinas in California on May 21 and is ranked No 2 in the Commonwealth behind Canadian Jason Tunks, whose best throw this year is 66.50m in January.

Winchester cannot pinpoint what went wrong in the Dutch championships to cause his injury. He compared it to a sprinter pulling a hamstring.

New Zealand Games team chef de mission Dave Currie said he was sure Winchester would have performed with great distinction in Manchester.

"Unfortunately that is not to be," he said. "But I feel buoyed by the attention he has received from our health team. All we can do now is to wish him well. We've been assured he will make a full recovery."

* Australia's leading women's track sprint cyclist Michelle Ferris has been forced out of the Games with hamstring and knee injuries.

She won a silver medal at the Sydney Olympics two years ago.

- NZPA