Leverkusen decathlete and Olympic hopeful Klaus Isekenmeier will be sidelined for the rest of this season after tearing his Achilles tendon in training.
The former Under-23 European Champion was hoping to produce a good performance at Ratingen this weekend, when he could have sealed his place in the Germany squad for the Athens Games.
However, he will now be a frustrated spectator after picking up the injury while practising the high-jump.
For the 29-year-old, whose previous best mark of 8,310 points would be more than enough to earn a ticket to Athens, this latest injury is not out of line with his bad fortune in recent years.
He spent most of 2003 labouring with a knee problem and was only able to find his competitive edge again in February before completing his first full decathlon of the year just two weeks ago.
EAA