AN OLYMPIC athlete was taken off the track in a wheelchair after suffering a freak injury in the heptathlon warm up.
Germany star Sophie Weissenberg picked up the injury while practising the 110m hurdles.
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Sophie Weissenberg suffered the injury while practising the hurdlesCredit: AP
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The German buried her face in the track in clear discomfortCredit: Reuters
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Weissenberg was carried away in tears in a wheelchairCredit: AFP
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A team-mate checked on her after she hit the deckCredit: AP
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Medics attended to the stricken starCredit: AFP
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The heptathlete picked up the injury after hitting a hurdle in the warm-upCredit: Rex
She immediately fell to the ground clutching her ankle and appeared to know her Games were over.
Weissenberg was reduced to tears as she left the track with an apparent Achilles injury.
Medics attended to the German, 26, and she was later taken away in a wheelchair.
The injury, which occurred in the first event of the heptathlon, has ruled Weissenberg out of competing.
Weisseinberg was set to make her Olympic debut by running in the second heat of the 110m hurdles.
Ahead of the event she shared a photo on social media alongside the caption: “Olympic debut tomorrow!”
Team GB’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson finished second in the first heat 110 hurdle heat to get her gold medal bid off to a good start.
Johnson-Thompson, 31, won heptathlon gold at the World Championships last year and is one of the favourites to win in Paris.
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It was also an Achilles injury which kept Johnson-Thompson out of the Tokyo Olympics, but she feels the Team GB environment has been the perfect preparation for her.
She said: “The Team GB holding camp in Saint-Germain feels like Montpellier with its slow southern vibe.
“It has been a perfect place for me to get good sensations, good feelings, and to practise my French, which was always terrible. It feels like a home away from home.
“Before the Games, I was very uptight and highly strung. Being in France for that long, surrounded by the people I was with, has definitely relaxed me.
“And made me enjoy the finer things in life a bit more. It definitely suits my personality.
“I enjoy drinking espresso coffee outside, being late, and I just enjoy a glass of wine every now and again.”
