21 May 2014

Robbie Grabarz (coach: Fuzz Ahmed) is to go undergo surgery to cure a long-standing knee problem.
The London 2012 bronze medallist will now miss the 2014 outdoor season.

The 2012 European high jump champion has had a recurrence of an on-going tendon problem in his left knee.

“We had to look at the long-term outlook and I need to be operating at 100 percent not 90-95 percent as I have been doing,” said Grabarz.

“The knee has been a problem for about a year. I need the surgery now as I don’t want to compromise my performances by not sorting this problem out.

“I’m gutted I won’t be able to defend my European title and compete at the Commonwealth Games. It’s totally upsetting as I just want to compete at major championships and challenge for medals.  It’s a long term decision with 2015 and 2016 in mind.”

Fuzz Ahmed, British Athletics Senior National Institute Coach – Vertical Jumps said: “This is a new and difficult challenge for Robbie.

“Robbie’s team is going to embrace this journey and draw upon our collective experience to ensure Robbie comes back a better athlete.

“This became a worsening problem and now is the time to act. For a number of seasons we have managed the symptoms but now we must address the cause in order to be ready for Rio.

“The aim for Robbie when he returns in 2015 is to recapture the 2012 form that made him one of the best high jumpers in the world. He is a rare athlete, one that can go over 2.40m and challenge for Olympic and world titles.

 “Robbie will undergo surgery next week and we will work closely with the British Athletics medical team during his rehabilitation. The support that Robbie will receive during his recovery will give him an advantage over many other nations, which is only possible thanks to his National Lottery funding with the World Class Performance Programme.”