http://www.iaaf.org/OLY04/news/Kind=2/newsId=25887.html
Drechsler ends Olympic campaign
Thursday 8 July 2004
Germany’s reigning Olympic Long Jump champion Heike Drechsler has pulled out of the Athens games next month because she believes she is not performing well enough.
The 39 year-old former double World (1983 and 1993) champion, who also took the 1992 Olympic title, had previously confirmed that this would be her last season.
“I have to be realistic and realise my form at the moment is not at the required level (6.70 – “A” standard),” the 39-year athlete said after a training session at Karlsruhe in the south west of the country on Wednesday.
“Unfortunately I don’t think I’m capable of winning a national or an international title. Therefore I’ll have to cross out my ambition of an Olympic title or medal.”
Back in March, Drechsler had confirmed she would retire after the Olympics, but now that competition is no longer on the schedule she will continue to compete at several one day international meetings until the end of the season.
Drechsler, whose personal best of 7.48m in 1988 makes her the third longest jumper of all-time, will take part at this weekend’s German national championships.
Currently her best performance this season is a 6.39m leap in Erfurt.