British starlet Elizabeth Tweddle is set to undergo keyhole surgery on an injured knee meaning that she will miss out the 2012 European Championships. Below is one of the many articles on this, this one being from The Telegraph.
The 27-year-old will now miss the European Championships, the last major competition before London, which take place in Brussels on May 9-13.
The injury is understood to be a long-term problem but Tweddle remains confident she will be fully fit in time for the Olympics, which will be her last competition before she retires from the sport.
She said: “I’m disappointed not to be in a position to attend the Europeans but also thankful that this gives me the opportunity to get myself fully fit and ready for the rest of the season.
“Certainly, it’s much better for this process to happen now rather than later in the year. I am very much still in the gym every day and will continue to work alongside the British Gymnastics medical team to ensure I manage my recovery.”
Tweddle is one of Britain’s main medal hopes in gymnastics, having won world gold on the uneven bars in 2006 and 2010 and gold in the floor exercise when the World Championships were staged in the London Olympic venue in 2009.
Tim Jones, the British Gymnastics performance director, said: “It is important for us to protect Beth and safeguard her Olympic dreams.
“It is in Beth’s best interests that we have decided not to consider her for the European Championships, allowing her to spend the time working with the British Gymnastics medical team and her coach to ensure a speedy return to full fitness.”