Helsinki hit by another big-name withdrawal

Japanese hammer thrower Koji Murofushi yesterday became the latest Olympic champion to withdraw through injury from the Helsinki world championships opening on Saturday.

Murofushi, 30, who inherited the Olympic gold medal in Athens last year after Hungary's Adrian Annus was disqualified for manipulating a dope test, has been suffering from back problems.

"I have been trying to peak for the world championships but it was not to be," Murofushi told reporters.

"It's a blow but it is important to come back stronger and fully fit for next time."

Murofushi, the bronze medallist in Paris two years ago, would have been competing in his sixth championships.

Also yesterday Jan Zelezny, the best javelin thrower in history with three Olympic and three world gold medals, announced he would miss the championships for the first time since 1987.

Zelezny, 39, aggravated an Achilles tendon injury at last Friday's Bislett Games in Oslo.

"The qualification is followed immediately by the finals the next day.

"This is what I am most worried about," he told reporters in Prague.

Romanian Olympic 400 metres silver medallist Ionela Tirlea-Manolache will also miss the championships with a back injury.

A spokesman for the Romanian national federation said she was unlikely to compete again this year.

Tirlea-Manolache finished second to Greek Fani Halkia, who emerged from nowhere to win in Athens and has disappeared just as suddenly this season.

Both of the Athens 1,500 metres champions have already withdrawn. Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj is recovering from a virus and Britain's 800-1,500 women's gold medallist Kelly Holmes is suffering from another in the long list of injuries which have plagued her career.

Swedish triple jumper Christian Olsson is also missing through injury while Greek American Olympic 200 metres champion Shawn Crawford will run the 100 only after a foot injury.

Potentially the biggest blow is the loss of world 100 metres record holder Asafa Powell, who was scheduled to come up against Olympic gold medallist Justin Gatlin of the United States in Sunday's final.

Powell has been ruled out of the four rounds of the 100 metres although he still hopes to be fit in time to represent Jamaica in the 4x100 metres relay.

Pitkamaki hope

Although Zelezny has been well short of his best form this season, his absence is a further boost to the home fans who have welcomed the return of the world's premier athletics competition to Helsinki after 22 years.

Tero Pitkamaki threw the javelin 91.53 metres in June to become the sixth man on the all-time list.

He then silenced the crowd in Oslo last Friday by defeating Norway's Olympic champion Andreas Thorkildsen.

Finland, an athletics stronghold in the first part of the 20th century, failed to win a single medal at either the 2003 Paris world championships or in Athens last year and the pressure on Pitkamaki will be immense.

"The 91 metres throw really surprised me," he said.

"At the start of the season I thought that 88 or 89 might be possible this year but I wouldn't have expected such a long throw as 91."

A late surge in ticket sales was reported to the world governing body's ruling council yesterday.

Antti Pihlakoski, chief executive officer of the local organising committee, told the council that 82 per cent to 100 per cent of all evening sessions had been sold and 75 to 90 per cent of morning sessions in the stadium used to host the 1952 Olympics.

"Over the last 10 days there has been a surge in ticket demand," he said.