Darton teenager Joe Ferguson had to pull out of the Under 20 European Championships due to an injury which may have ended his ‘breakthrough season’.
The 19-year-old from Darton was winning his 200m heat in Boras, Sweden when a calf strain meant he limped the last 20 metres. Joe – who is ranked second in Europe and first in Britain – still finished second in the race and was fourth fastest overall but could not compete in the semi-final or final.
He said: “It’s not the result I wanted and I was very disappointed. I know, looking at the rest of the competition, that I could have won the gold medal. But I am trying to take the positives from it that I still ran a good time even though I walked over the line and I have the experience of representing Great Britain in a major championships.”
Ferguson – who hopes to compete in the Olympics and World Championships in the future – has been invited to the senior British Championships on August 24 and 25, but is unsure whether he will compete.
He said: “The injury should put me out of training for about ten days but it might be the best thing to call it a day for this season in terms of competitions and just focus on next season. It’s been a breakthrough season for me and I have taken my personal best down by nearly a second. I am hoping for a lot more progress next year.”
