European Athletics (EAA) – News – Happy hurdler Berings looking forward to London

Belgium’s 2009 European Athletics Indoor Championships women’s 60m hurdles gold medallist Eline Berings has fully recovered from the knee and thigh surgery she had in May and has set her sights on making the finals at the World Indoor Championships and Olympic Games next year.

The Belgian 100m hurdles record holder, who had a history of chronic knee problems, was in severe pain after running on home soil indoors in Gent in February and a scan also revealed a 15cm muscle tear at the front of her left thigh. The surgery meant she did not race all summer.

"My knee was always my weak point but the problems were under control until late last year when I had more and more trouble with its movement. It got so bad that after every workout I had to rest for two days in order to train again and this was obviously not tenable in the long term,” reflected Berings recently.

"In the period (after Gent) my coach and I consulted many people in the medical field, I had injections and customized exercises but nothing seemed to help and by this time it was already May and so surgery was the only option.

“The pain I felt before the operation is happily now all gone. It is great that I am now able to train without any new problems arising. I feel stronger and faster but my technique still needs some polishing up.

Berings has a degree in psychology and was planning on doing post-graduate studies in her speciality but she has put everything on hold until the end of next summer. “I'm putting everything into doing well in at the Olympic Games in London,” she added.

 European Athletics (EAA) – News