Kluft's absence boosts Britain's gold medal hopes

The Swede, 25, injured her thigh on Thursday while warming up for the GE Galan International in Stockholm.

"It's a minimal tear in the muscle, but it still means the indoor season is ruined," team doctor Sverker Nilsson told Swedish news agency TT.

Her absence boosts the gold medal hopes of Britain's Kelly Sotherton.

Sotherton, who won heptathlon bronze at the 2007 World Championships, is expected to be Britain's lone representative in the pentathlon as Jessica Ennis says it is not on her agenda in Olympic year.

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Kluft is expected to be fit for the Olympics in August, although earlier this year the triple world champion had suggested she may not defend her heptathlon title in Beijing because she wanted to concentrate solely on the long jump.

"I'm not sure if motivation is going to come back when I train outside again this spring," said the Swede in January.

"I definitely want to do the long jump. I'm putting a lot of effort into the long jump and a lot of focus as well."