Lewis-Francis: This is the end for me

Birchfield Harrier Mark Lewis-Francis today admitted his athletics career is all but over after limping out of the European Championships semi-finals.

The 'Darlaston Dart' has struggled with injuries in the last few months and failed to qualify for tonight's 100m final in Helsinki.

The 29-year-old, who won Olympic sprint relay gold at Athens 2004, laboured through his heat in 10.39 seconds and, while he improved that to 10.36 in his semi-final, it was only good enough for sixth and an early elimination.

Lewis-Francis has been hampered by injuries ever since his heroic final leg in Athens. Last season was effectively written off while he suffered a quad injury on the eve of last weekend's Aviva 2012 Trials and could only come sixth in the 100m final.

Helsinki offered one last shot at breaking into the selectors' plans for London 2012 but now Lewis-Francis is seemingly ready to hang up his spikes.

"I tore my quad the Sunday of last week – just a week before the trials so I wanted to be here. I just couldn't find any power – it's terrible, they were just two terrible runs," he said.

"I haven't got a chance in hell of making the relay – too many guys have run quicker than me this year.

"I'm going to sit down and think about it, there's only so much criticism an athlete can take.

"We get injuries here and there, and all people see is us out there competing, and when we compete badly all of a sudden we're rubbish athletes.

"But this season has been hard for me, I've had injuries and I made it through the trials and made it onto this team – I want more but I think it's the end of the road."

Meanwhile, former Wolverhampton student Luke Lennon-Ford laid the blame for his disqualification squarely at the door of the organisers after bowing out of the heats in the 400m in controversial style.

Lennon-Ford won his heat from lane two in a time of 45.89 seconds but was disqualified a few minutes later after he was judged to have stepped outside his lane.

But Lennon-Ford was adamant that the curve was far too tight.

Meanwhile, Birmingham high jumper Tom Parsons could only manage a best clearance of 2.10m as he failed to reach the final.