Athletics: Second delay to Jackson's jumping

COLIN JACKSON, the world record-holder in the high hurdles, has been forced to postpone his return to long jumping for the second time this year.

The 31-year-old, who plans to long jump at this year's European Championships and Commonwealth Games, was scheduled to compete at a meeting in Milan on Friday, but organisers have cancelled the long jump. Last month Jackson had to abandon plans to long jump in Jena, Germany, after bruising a heel when falling in his opening 110 metres hurdles race of the summer. "Things are working against Colin at the moment," Malcolm Arnold, his coach, said. "He will just have to look around to see when he can fit it in again in his schedule."

Jackson jumped a wind- assisted 7.96m as a teenager and has targeted his fellow Welshman Lynn Davies's 30-year-old British record of 8.23m. But his plans to double up for Britain in the European Cup in St Petersburg at the end of this month could be in trouble unless he can get in a qualifying jump before the selection date of 15 June.

Jackson leads this year's world rankings over the hurdles with his time of 13.14sec set in Chemnitz, Germany, late last month - his fastest opening to a season since the year he won the world title, 1993. The world champion, Allen Johnson of the United States, ran 13.12 in Eugene, Oregon, on Sunday, but the time was wind-assisted.

Donovan Bailey, Canada's 100m world record-holder, announced yesterday that he will retire after the 2000 Olympic Games. Bailey said: "I'll be aiming to win the world title in 1999 in Seville and I think I'll finish my career with the Sydney Olympics. After that I'll finally be able to smoke a fat cigar. But until then I still want to go out there and beat the Americans."

Paula Radcliffe left Monday night's Hengelo meeting, highly encouraged after setting a personal best of 4min 05.81sec in the 1500m behind Gabriela Szado, who won in 4:02.91.