Thompson in doubt for Games

Press, 6 October 1989, Page 52

Thompson in doubt for Games

NZPA-Reufer London Daley Thompson may not be able to defend his decathlon title at the Commonwealth Games in Auckland in January after undergoing an operation on his left knee in Zurich last week. ;; In an interview on British television yesterday, Thompson said his participation in the Games was uncertain. “I’m not necessarily out of the Commonwealth Games,” he said. “I’ll know when I’m a fit man.”

‘Tve had a spot of bother for the past four or ; five years with the knee so I had these X-rays done and they found a bone growth about the size of a pea. They also found that my knee cap was not quite straight so they moved it over,” he said. . ■

Thompson, the Olympic champion in 1980 and 1984, the world champion in 1983 and the reigning Europeian title-holder, said he was still optimistic about his future.

“They told me that ,/ns long as I

did not rush back, I should have another four or five years left,” he said.

Thompson also attacked the England team’s selection policy, which resulted in Steve Cram, the gold medallist over 800 m and 1500 m at the 1986 Games in Edinburgh, failing to win a place. “The people who do the selecting know very'little about the sport,” Thompson said. “They do not want to select. They do not want to be in the position to make decisions.”