‘I’m proud that I made start line after injury problems’

SIMPLY making it to the start line for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo was a triumph for Melissa Courtney-Bryant - but she wanted so much more, writes Paul Eddison of Sportsbeat.

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Going in the heats of the 5,000m in the Japanese capital, the 32-year-old, left, was hoping to make it through to the final despite a season that has seen her suffer four separate calf tears in her left leg.

The biggest of those came back in May, during the race in which she qualified for these championships.

Despite that, Courtney-Bryant felt she was in a good place coming into the Worlds, but she could not summon her best form as she finished 16th in her heat in a time of 15 minutes 27:70 seconds, nearly 40 seconds off her best.

The Loughborough University-based runner said: “It was really tough. I’m pretty disappointed.

“I'm trying to be proud that I actually made the start line after the summer.