Four-time Olympic sprint silver medallist Frankie Fredericks of Namibia pulled out of the Sydney Games yesterday with an Achilles tendon injury. The 32-year-old, who was also crowned world 200 metres champion in 1993, described the decision to withdraw as "one of the most difficult of my life". While it looks as though this was the last time the 100 and 200 metres runner would have competed in the Games, Britain's Linford Christie was able to squeeze in another games when he was 36 years old before being disqualified from the final in Atlanta by going twice before the gun.

Fredericks was second to Christie in the 100 metres in Barcelona in 1992 and second to Michael Marsh in the 200 metres. In 1996, at Atlanta, Fredericks was beaten by Donovan Bailey in the 100 metres and by the sensation of the Games, Michael Johnson, in the 200 metres. Johnson ran 19.32 seconds for the distance to shatter the world record.