Athlete Deakes to miss world championships

Sydney, June 12: Australian world champion walker Nathan Deakes has been forced to pull out of this year`s championships in Berlin in August because of a hip injury.The 31-year-old said he was experiencing pain in his hip as he strove to regain full fitness after also withdrawing from last year`s Beijing Olympics to undergo surgery on a hamstring problem that had plagued him for years.

"I am not at the level I need to be or want to be at," he told reporters on Friday. Deakes is one of the world`s most accomplished race walkers and was among the favourites to win gold in Beijing before pulling out. Bureau Report