Ennis’s hopes of Paris trip show improvement

Pole vaulter Steve Lewis suffered a suspected fractured thumb when his pole snapped during the Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham on Saturday and sprinter Mark Lewis-Francis left the arena on crutches after picking up an abductor problem.

That has ruled the former Olympic relay gold medallist out of the upcoming European Indoor Championships in Paris, while fellow sprinter Harry Aikines-Aryeetey is doubtful after also suffering an injury in Saturday’s 60m final at the National Indoor Arena.

Add in the serious ankle injury suffered by Steph Twell in a cross country race in Belgium and the “niggling” ankle problem for Sheffield’s world heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis, and Van Commenee had to concede he may have been tempting fate by saying his athletes had been largely injury free.

“I did. I tried to say that we were on top of things and then some freak accidents happened in the last week with Steph Twell, Steve Lewis and Mark Lewis-Francis,” said Van Commenee, who will name the British team for Paris tomorrow.

Van Commenee revealed the likelihood of Ennis competing in Paris is “much higher” than not, while at least Mo Farah looks in perfect health after setting a new European record over 5,000m on Saturday, just a day after announcing he was moving to Oregon to work with coach Alberto Salazar.

“Mo couldn’t be in a better place,” Van Commenee added. “Mo has done bits and pieces for a long time with Alberto. It’s been a smooth transition.”