Hooker to miss Australian season with knee injury

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Wednesday, 01 December 2010
Hooker side-lined by knee injury but still planning World title defence in Daegu

World and Olympic pole vault champion Steven Hooker of Australia speaks to his coach during qualification in Doha (Getty Images)
Sydney, Australia - Steve Hooker, Samsung Diamond League Ambassador, has been grounded for the domestic Australian season by a chronic knee injury.

One of the most successful athletes in history with a gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games, 2009 World Championships, 2010 World Indoor championships and at the Commonwealth Games, the Perth-based pole vaulter has been told to rest and rehabilitate the injury. His absence is a blow to the sport in Australia.

Athletics Australia's athlete agent Maurie Plant told The Daily Telegraph the two men he had wanted to bring to Australia - world No. 2 Renaud Lavillenie and world No. 7 Romain Mesnil - must remain at home, where they will be drawcards at the European Indoor Championships in Paris, next March.

The knee has given Hooker grief since 2001 and became a major issue in January 2009. "That is when his pole snapped and hit his knee," coach Alex Parnov told The Daily Telegraph yesterday.

"In Canberra we met with doctors and with physiotherapists Craig Purdam and Brent Kirkbride, and the verdict is Steve needs at least two months doing a special recovery program before he can even start plyometrics [jumping activities] and sharper stuff," Parnov said.

"At this stage obviously there is no chance for Steve to compete in the domestic season because the nationals are in mid-April and he cannot even start specific training until around then. It is important to get this problem fixed.”

"The next three years are so important with World and Olympic competitions." Parnov said Hooker was aiming to return in June.

"We need four to five competitions before Daegu (the world championships in South Korea in late August) to prepare him best as possible," he said.

"The more I have thought about it, the more I believe this is a good decision to stay out of competition this (Australian) summer. Steve needs to recover his battery also emotionally. He is exhausted."

Mike Hurst – The Daily Telegraph, Sydney – for the IAAF