SICHEL FORCED TO WITHDRAW FROM WORLD 100Km CHAMPIONSHIPS

Sanday's international ultra distance runner William Sichel (Orkney AC ), has been forced to withdraw from Saturday's World 100km (62 miles) road running Championships in Holland due to a calf injury sustained on Sunday morning.

"It was a bit of a shock as I was just doing my last easy run when I had to pull up with a pain in my left calf something I have never had before. If it had happened during hard training it would be easier to understand but at the moment it's a bit of a mystery."

As William's main target of the season is October's World 24 hour Championships in the Czech Republic he has allowed his head to rule his heart and has pulled out of Saturday's event.

"I'll need a couple of easy weeks now with suitable treatment before I can build up my training again. It's disappointing but it's a tough sport and these things happen sometimes. I'll now be focussing fully on the 24 hour Championships in October."

William is a long term member of the Orkney Athletic Club and in December 2002 William set new Guinness World Records for both 100 miles and 24hrs on the treadmill. With his wife, Elizabeth, he runs the Orkney Angora mail order knitwear business in Sanday , Orkney.

William is grateful to sponsors Orkney Meat (main sponsor), The Ayre Hotel, The Orcadian and Crantit Dairy (Orkney Ice Cream) and Loganair .

William's running web site, which is being developed as a resource for ultra running in general, can be found at www.williamsichel.co.uk

Picture caption: William Sichel

Making contact:

William Sichel, Upper Breckan , Sanday , Orkney KW17 2AZ. Tel/Fax: 01857 600421. Mobile (whilst travelling only) 0794 128 3506. william@williamsichel.co.uk Running web site: http://www.williamsichel.co.uk/

Photographs:

Newsline Scotland (Press Agency). Tel 01224 594000. photos@newsline-scotland.co.uk

Ken Amer , Orkney Photographic. Tel 01856 873574, Mobile 07808 961780 info@orkneyphotographic.co.uk

William Sichel, ‘Free to use' photographs can be down loaded from my on-line photo album. Go to: http://www.williamsichel.co.uk/ and click on ‘Photos'.

7/09/04