Hammersmith athlete Daniel Awde has talked about being on a "rollercoaster ride" after forced to quit the Olympic Decathlon just after achieving his personal best.

Daniel had set a personal best of 10.71s in the 100m to lie seventh overall, but then committed two fouls in the long jump and already looked to be struggling with a knee injury before managing only 6.83m with his final attempt. He then decided to withdraw.

"I've had a flare up of patella tendinitis and if I continued it would probably rupture," he says. " It's been a real rollercoaster ride. "

Daniel, 24 whose speed on the track once landed him a job as the running double for actor Chris Evans, who was playing Captain America in the film The First Avenger, says the knee problem has plagued him for some time.

" We try to find solutions to it," he says. " It works for about a week, find another solution and that works for about a week.

" If you spoke to me at the start of the year I wouldn't have expected to be here in the first place, it's been a real bane of my life for the last two years.

" I'm in the best shape of my life. I was so ready for this to put on a good show, entertain the crowd.

"I was ready but my knee wasn't."

 

 

August 10, 2012