 Sotherton won Olympic bronze behind Austra Skujyte and Carolina Kluft |
Heptathlete Kelly Sotherton has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a back problem. The injury means Sotherton, who won Olympic bronze in Athens in 2004, will be unable to defend her Commonwealth heptathlon title in Delhi in October. The 33-year-old will also miss July's European Championships. "I'm extremely disappointed not to compete this year. I fully intend to compete in 2011 and am working towards that," she said. Sotherton has had problems with her back before, discovering a fracture to her spine four months after clinching Commonwealth gold in Melbourne in 2006.  | 606: DEBATE |
Although she recovered from that injury to claim World Championship bronze ahead of fellow Briton Jessica Ennis in 2007, she finished a disappointing fourth in the Beijing Olympics a year later. A heel injury then ruined her hopes of competing in the 2009 World Championships, as Ennis shot to prominence by claiming gold.
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