Sotherton won Commonwealth gold in 2006 and bronze at the 2004 Olympics

Britain's Kelly Sotherton has admitted she may be forced to give up heptathlon because of persistent injuries.

The 33-year-old, who won bronze at the 2004 Olympics, missed the 2009 and 2010 seasons with heel and back injuries and could focus solely on the track.

She said: "I'm certainly not setting all my hopes on a heptathlon medal at the World Championships or Olympics.

"A disc problem is quite severe, so if I can be competitive in running then I might just do that."

Sotherton, who won heptathlon gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, saw her hopes of an appearance at the 2009 World Championships ended by a heel problem, while a back injury has ruled her out of competing this season.

If last winter hadn't gone so well I probably would have thought about calling it a day Kelly Sotherton

And during the Birmingham-based athlete's time on the sidelines, team-mate Jessica Ennis has dominated the sport, winning world and European titles, but it is uncertain whether the pair will go head-to-head at the 2011 World Championships or London 2012.

Sotherton, part of Great Britain's 4x400 relay team at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, is confident that she can get herself fit for next year but conceded: "I just want to get through a season where I'm competitive and injury free.

"I'll try to do all the running events and maybe squeeze a few 4x400s in there but I'll just have to see what happens.

"I'd rather be safe than sorry. I don't want to be sat on the sidelines in London and if that means making changes to prolong my career then so be it."

Sotherton has been encouraged by the work she has been doing in between injuries and admitted that was what had kept her going.

"If last winter hadn't gone so well I probably would have thought about calling it a day," she added.

"But I'm still setting personal bests and I know there's still room for improvement when I have a clear run."

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