Athletics: Lyne plans return from calf injury

Becky Lyne, who emerged as a world class athlete last season and claimed bronze in the European Championships 800m, maintained yesterday that she would be ready to compete at this summer's World Championships despite a calf injury.

The 24-year-old Hallamshire Harrier was out of action for five weeks after picking up the injury while training in Australia in February, and she has not raced since. But she plans to build up for this year's World Championship trials by racing in the Norwich Union British Grand Prix at Sheffield on 15 July. Lyne has been treated by Gerard Hartmann, the Irish physiotherapist who in the past has restored Kelly Holmes, Paula Radcliffe and Sonia O'Sullivan to full fitness.

"I'm back in full training although there are still some things I can't do on the track," said Lyne, who a year ago today ran her lifetime best of 1min 58.20sec when winning the Norwich Union Gateshead Grand Prix.

"I'll definitely be competing in Sheffield, but as yet I haven't any races fixed before the trials in Manchester and I might even just do a time trial before then."

Meanwhile, Xavier Carter, the second-fastest 200m runner of all time after Michael Johnson, has kept his bragging rights after winning a 200m at the weekend's Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, that included the world 100m record-holder Asafa Powell and the Olympic 400m champion Jeremy Wariner.

Carter clocked 20.23sec into a strong headwind, with Powell finishing third in 20.55 and Wariner back in sixth place in 20.78.