Defending champion Menendez to miss Osaka 06. August 07

Osleidys Menendez of Cuba competing in Helsinki (EastPress)

Havana - World and Olympic champion Osleidys Menéndez decided to skip the upcoming 11th IAAF World Championships in Osaka as she has not fully recovered from an injury in her right leg.
"I still feel some pain and I don't want to go to Osaka if I'm not 100% fit. I don't want to enter a competition to opt for second or third," commented the 27-year old.

Menendez competed only four times this season and threw her 2007 best of 62.34 to regain the Pan American Games title in Rio de Janeiro, a crown she lost in Santo Domingo 2003.

"I prefer to rest and recover totally for the Olympic Games and focus on breaking the World record again in Beijing," added a confident Menendez.

The Cuban star commented that the pain in her right ankle seriously limits her final effort.

“My arm is fine, but my run-up is seriously affected by this pain."

At 27, Menendez has won two World titles (Edmonton 2001 and Helsinki 2005) and the 2004 Olympic gold.

In Athens 2004, she came just 0.01 short of the World record (71.54) she set in 2001. In Helsinki 2005, she recovered the World crown on a high, becoming the first Latin American athlete to smash a global record in the 20-year history of the World Championships (71.70).

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