MARK WINDSOR has been ruled out of the London-to-Paris MS Rowing Challenge. The Fitness Factory team member damaged ligaments in his knee in a freak accident while playing basketball last Wednesday and the injury will not heal in time for him to take his place in the boat.

‘My leg was straight because I was standing still at the time and one of the opposition barged into one of my team-mates who fell into me at a slight angle,’ said Windsor.

‘The forward pressure on the knee meant it was hyper-extending the joint and the medial collateral ligament has been quite badly damaged, which means joint stability has gone.

‘It is not a complete tear but it is just being held together by a few threads.’

When the injury happened, Windsor hoped it would require just two or three days of treatment, but after consulting a knee specialist he was told the problem was much more serious.

‘I was very disappointed and very upset to hear the news. I did not realise the extent of the injury at the time,’ he said.

‘I am still keen to row but it has got stiffer and it needs to be braced for several weeks.’

If he attempted to row, Windsor would risk the long-term repair of the joint and he acknowledged that the injury could slow down the changeovers when the rowers swap over during the 48-mile challenge.

There are also safety issues to take into account.

However, he will be on the support boat when the team attempts the challenge, starting on Monday 31 May.

‘I am still going to be involved taking pictures and doing whatever I can to help out.

‘A couple of people have said I should not be playing basketball so close to the row but accidents do happen. If you wrapped yourself up in cotton wool, you would not be fit for the row,’ Windsor said.

Colin Fallaize of the Fitness Factory team said that the injury was a cruel blow for Windsor and the team.

‘It still means our existing rowing plan has not changed but it also means we have lost a really strong rower,’ Fallaize said.