Usain Bolt has withdrawn from the next two Diamond League meetings in Paris and Lausanne due to injury but the six-time Olympic gold medallist still plans to compete in the World Championships.
The Jamaican's preparations to defend his sprint titles in Beijing at the end of August have been hampered by a left leg complaint that has prompted him to seek treatment from Doctor Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt in Munich.
Bayern Munich's former club doctor confirmed a "blocked sacroiliac joint . . . is restricting his movement and putting pressure on his knee and ankle".
Bolt will therefore spend the next couple of days receiving treatment in the Bavarian city before resuming full training. However, he will miss the events at Paris on July 4 and Lausanne five days later, his only scheduled competitions before the World Championships.
"I'm disappointed not to be able to compete in Paris and Lausanne," said the 28-year-old in a statement. "I love running at these meetings but at the moment I am unable to compete at 100 per cent. I look forward to getting back into full training as soon as possible."
Bolt's last outing was at the Adidas Grand Prix on June 13 in New York, where he won the 200 metres race with a time of 20.29 seconds, his slowest final time in the event for nine years.
He won 100m and 200m gold at the last World Championship in Moscow two years ago and was also part of the Jamaican 4x100m team that topped the podium.
He is optimistic he will be back to full fitness before Beijing with a statement from his management team adding: "Usain will spend the next couple of days in Munich getting treatment after which he will resume full training in his quest to defend his titles at the IAAF World T&F Championships."
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