Ashia Hansen, Shaftesbury Barnet's world indoor triple jump record-holder, is battling to get fit for the Olympic trials at Birmingham from August 11-13.

Though Ashia has an outdoor personal best of 15.15 metres that makes her a leading British hope for a medal in Sydney, she's made only one competitive appearance so far this year, and has yet to achieve the Olympic qualifying standard of 14.15m.

After starting the year with a foot injury that kept her out of action until June.

Then she was nearly reached it with a jump of 14.11m when narrowly beaten by 3cm by Cuban Yamile Adama, the world championship bronze medallist, at Birmingham in June, but sustained a foot injury.

Her coach Aston Moore said: 'It was a very hard surface on the indoor arena, and Ashia was left in pain. Physically, she's very fit and well. But we have had to put the technical work on hold until all the aches and pains have gone away.

'She's battling hard to get fit for the trials, but once the battle is won, if things go all right at Birmingham, she is one of the athletes in the team capable of taking the gold medal.