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Horror injury for Rio athlete

January 24, 2016

More injuries have hit the German decathlon athlete Michael Schrader, after he suffered a horror injury in training before the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He's now ruled out of the games in the summer.

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Michael SCHRADER, Deutschland
Image: picture alliance/Sven Simon

Germany's former world silver-medallist Michael Schrader is out of the decathlon at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics after suffering a horrific injury in training.

"Rio is gone for me," he told SID on Sunday. "In the knee, everything is torn which can be torn."

The 28-year-old, who won a decathlon silver at the Moscow world championships three years ago, suffered the injury in pole vault training on Friday. His knee buckled on impact during a jump and he tore both the patella and cruciate ligaments.

He will undergo surgery on Monday in Cologne before beginning months of rehabilitation.

"I can only start think about sport again in a year's time," he said. "It's of course extremely bitter news, but I still have a few good years ahead of me.

"I have fought my way back enough times in the past [from injury] and I will do so again."

Schrader has endured a terrible run of injuries in his career. From 2009 until 2014, he missed three European and two world championships, as well as the 2012 London Olympics, with either a foot or knee injury.

The Rio de Janeiro Olympics will take place from August 5-21 and the athletics section begins on August 12.

apc/dv (SID, AFP)