Tomlinson hopeful of making Games

British long jumper Chris Tomlinson is confident he will recover from a torn calf muscle to compete at the Olympics.

Tomlinson, 26, limped out of Saturday's London Grand Prix and is undergoing intensive rehabilitation at UK Athletics' elite centre at Lea Valley.

"I've got to be confident," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"It's every athlete's dream to compete at the Olympics and if I've got even 1% chance of getting there I'll sacrifice the next few weeks to do that."

Tomlinson will not travel to Team GB's holding camp in Macau but hopes to fly straight into the Olympic village ahead of the men's long jump qualifying round on Saturday 16 August, with the final two days later.

The next few days will be crucial in his recovery before we make the final assessment as to whether he is fit enough to perform at the Olympics UK Athletics performance director Dave Collins

"I can't sit back and start saying why me, why at this time? It's just all about being positive," said the world indoor silver medallist.

"The more positive I am, the more I ice it, compress it and do everything I'm told to do, the better that chance I'll have of competing.

"I was so frustrated at Crystal Palace because in training I had jumped some of the biggest jumps of my life and I was very confident of competing to a higher level than I've ever competed in before."

It was initially thought the Middlesbrough athlete was suffering from cramp, but the medical team at Northwick Park Hospital in London on Monday revealed it was a tear in his right calf muscle.

Tomlinson added: "When I was on the runway at Crystal Palace, my calf seized up on me. We were hopeful that it was cramp, but deep down I had fears it was a tear and the scan confirmed that.

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"I am now getting well looked after by the UK Athletics medical staff and I have every confidence in them. I will have a fitness test in a couple of weeks, but in the meantime I am keeping my head high and trying to stay positive.

"The main priority for me now is being on that runway on 16 August. If I get there fit and in good shape I know I have got the ability to jump as far as anyone in the world."

Dave Collins, UK Athletics performance director, said: "This is lousy timing for Chris with less than three weeks to go before he is due to compete in Beijing. In his condition, there is little to be gained by travelling to Macau.

"The best course of action available to us is to keep him here in the UK and give him every possible chance of regaining fitness and hopefully flying directly to Beijing.

"The next few days will be crucial in his recovery before we make the final assessment as to whether he is fit enough to perform at the Olympics."