DALE GARLAND will not risk hurdling in Rhodes. The Commonwealth Games star and event record-holder will not compete in his favoured 400m hurdles event at the Island Games and is concentrating instead on the flat one-lap of the track because of his recent hamstring injury.
‘I have not felt anything adverse,’ he said yesterday.
‘I have done a couple of training sessions here and everything I have done it has stood up to.
‘I am going out tonight to do some flat out stuff at the track and we will see how that goes.’
Garland, 26, recently spent two weeks warm weather training in Tenerife and so the heat is not proving a problem during the day, although he admitted to having difficulty sleeping.
‘We are not really avoiding the heat. We are just fitting in training as best we can. As sprinters, it is not really a problem for guys who do my events,’ he said.
‘It is a bit windy today and I think that’s here to stay for the week. It seems to be part of life here.’
One man disappointed that Garland will be restricted to the flat is fellow Guernsey 400m runner Tom Druce, who is also defending his 800m gold in Rhodes.
‘I am annoyed Dale is in the flat nowﾂ’ he said, with a wry grin.’
‘I am focusing mainly on the 800m, at least that’s my excuse if things don’t go well in the 400.’
Druce has injury worries of his own.
‘First of all, my hamstring is tight. I tore it on 1 May and it seems to be all right now,’ said the 20-year-old.
‘On the downside, I tweaked my groin on Tuesday going round the bend at home. I have seen the physio and we are going to keep going on it.
‘It is a busy schedule this week but I am fairly confident I will get through it. I have got a full range of movement, it just aches and is uncomfortable.’
One other Sarnian athlete returning from a layoff is Tim Coates. The 1,500m runner had a tibula tubicle transfer in February and had the pin removed one month ago.
‘It seems to be relatively happy. It is coming along better than expected,’ he said.
‘I have just been doing steady jogging and a bit of track work and hopefully I will be ready to go.
‘It was a problem that developed over time. I think it was too much sport at a young age and I am getting on a bit now,’ chuckled the 27-year-old.
Article posted on 30th June, 2007 - 12.00am
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