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Davies Abandons Marathon Season

Apr 1, 2010  - Craig Lord

The open water season of David Davies, Olympic silver medallist in the marathon, has been called off. The Loughborough University distance ace left the British trials in Sheffield tonight to undergo medical tests after feeling exhausted and unable to face the 1,500m freestyle on Saturday.

Pre-selected for the Commonwealth Games to defend his 1,500m crown in Delhi for Wales come October, Davies did not rest for trials this week and missed the grade for the 10-lane 400m final last Monday, finishing 11th. 

The plan this year was to have concentrated on the marathon in the summer, with a world title race in Canada in July in focus via qualification for the at the Len Cup in Israel in May. Then  in Delhi, the result of the 1,500m would help him and coach Kevin Renshaw to determine whether he would carry the 1,500m or the marathon or both on to a home Games in London 2012. 

A spokesman for British Swimming confirmed: "David has withdrawn from the championships and gone home. He is physically exhausted. He will now take a week off before returning to training and undergoing tests to figure out what the problem is. He won't make it to Israel. That's gone." Qualification for Israel was only possible via trials here in Sheffield, with 10km swimmers having to have raced in the 1,500m under the terms of the selection policy.

His marathon plans thrown into chaos, Davies has every intention of defending his Commonwealth 1,500m crown. However, a showdown with world champion and Olympic bronze medallist Thoma Lurz (GER) over 10km in Canada this summer is off.