Golden couple shed 23 stone

The Olympics has been deprived of one of its most colourful characters, and intriguing double-acts, with withdraw of the American shot putter CJ Hunter because of a knee injury. It ends hopes that Hunter and his wife, the sprinter Marion Jones, would become the first couple to win gold in the same games since Emil and Dana Zatopek's Helsinki triumph in 1952.

Hunter, the world champion, had been the gold medal favourite but injured his knee while lifting weights in London last month. Jones, the 100m world champion, is aiming for an unprecedented five golds - the 100 and 200m, both relays and the long jump.

"I am disappointed that an injury has forced me to withdraw from the Olympic Games," Hunter said. "Marion and I had been looking forward to competing together in Sydney but I am a professional athlete and injuries are part of the game."

The 23-stone Hunter, the biggest athlete on the US team, continued to compete and train after the injury, thinking he was suffering from a recurrence of tendinitis in the knee. During a grand prix meeting in Berlin on August 25, Hunter's pain was so severe he passed on his final two attempts after fouling on three of his previous four tries.

Ranked No1 in the world last year after winning the world championship, Hunter also won bronze at the 1997 World Championships. He is a three-time US champion and the 1995 world indoor silver medalist. He finished seventh at the 1996 Olympics; he and Jones were married two years later.

Hunter, 31, will still travel to Australia to support his wife. He will be replaced in the shot put by John Godina.

Britain's Colin Jackson, meanwhile, has identified the Cuban Anier Garcia, rather than the defending champion Allen Johnson, as his main threat to gold in the 110m hurdles.

Johnson, who ended Jackson's 44-race winning streak in 1995 and went on to win two world golds as well as the Olympic title in Atlanta, had announced his return from injury with a victory in 12.97 in balmy conditions at the US trials in Sacramento. But hamstring troubles flared again at a meeting in Yokohama on Saturday.

All season Jackson has being more concerned with Garcia, who he beat into second in last year's world championships. "I don't think Allen is my main worry," said Jackson. "I'm more worried about Garcia. He has got such great confidence and he's in terrific form.

"Allen is a great competitor and I would have loved to have raced against him when we're both in top condition. We've not raced each other at a major championship when we're both in form."

Jackson will be making his fourth Olympic quest, and has yet to improve on his silver in Seoul in 1988 when he was 21.

His efforts in 1992 were wrecked by injury when red-hot favourite and 1996 saw him battling back from a series of operations when he should have been at his prime.

"When you win silver at 21 you think next time round it's going to be you winning gold," admitted Jackson yesterday. "But I reached a stage in Atlanta where I thought, 'I might be retired by 2000.' I was beginning to think my time had passed."

• China suffered another setback on Monday with the withdrawal of a world record-setting weightlifter and his former world champion team-mate due to injuries. The withdrawal of Shi Zhiyong and Cui Wenhua from the men's event follows the axing of 27 athletes from China's squad last week due to injuries, sickness or "suspicious" blood tests.