Athletics: Ankle injury forces Caulfield to abandon shot at World Indoor Championships
The 31-year-old Irish 800 metre indoor record holder damaged his ankle on a St Stephen’s Day training run in Virginia, USA, and while he has not abandoned all hope of running indoors this year, his focus has already switched to the outdoor season and clocking qualifying standard times for Athens and the Olympic Games in August.
The injury, high on his ankle, was originally thought to have been a break but the diagnosis was thankfully less serious and Caulfield, based in Colorado where he is assistant track coach at Adams State College, will only be ruled out for another three or four weeks.
“On Christmas Eve,” Caulfield said, “I was on a training run in a park in Virginia, came round a turn and fell and basically hydroplaned across some water. It took a chunk out of my knee and that swelled up.”
It means he will miss the prestigious indoor meets in Boston on January 31 and the Millrose Games in New York’s Madison Square Garden, where he was entered in the famous Wanamaker Mile race.
“It’s very frustrating because I was in great form,” Caulfield said.
“To get in the Millrose Games and the Wanamaker Mile, because I’m not known as a miler by any means, I’d guaranteed the people that I’d run well, so I was taking it very seriously.”
Caulfield is determined to think positively, however, and says he believes there is a bright side to the injury and missing out on a big indoor season.
“Had I gone for the [world] indoors what I’d planned to do was to go down to a couple of races in South Africa after the indoors.
“If I hadn’t done my qualifying times by that stage I’d have been hard pressed to get the times and, having already run a bunch of races, I’d have to regroup and try again.
“So maybe this way I’ll get a better run at it, a more likely run at it before the July 1 deadline,” the Irishman said.
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