Kariem Hussein not at the European Championships in Athletics – he breaks the season

Kariem Hussein. (Image: Tim Ireland / AP)

Two weeks before the European Championships in Berlin, the flagship of the Swiss track and field package. Long-haul Kariem Hussein breaks the season. He is suffering from pelvic pain. Hussein was champion of Europe in 2014, he was third EM in 2016 and theoretically he would have counted in Berlin 2018 among the candidates for the Swiss medal.

In winter, Hussein had suffered a muscle tear, he had given up the indoor season, but had prepared for the summer season. In the past few days it has become clear that the injury has not completely healed. "Unfortunately, the treatments did not reach the desired level to be ready in time for the European Championships in Berlin," says Hussein. He now wants to work with his team to find out the reason for the complaints. Since that season, Hussein coached under coach Laurent Meuwly, who also looks after Lea Sprunger.

In addition, Hussein had yet to qualify for the European Championship. The Swiss Athletics Association had already announced that she would make no exception for him. He set a limit of 51.20 seconds for 400m hurdles – a time that is not a standard for Hussein, his best time is 48.45. But already in the first and only race of the season in Doha showed that Hussein is not in EM form: He was stopped with 51.40.

With the end of the season, Hussein puts an end to an ambitious project: he wants to get gold in Berlin and pass at the same time the written exams for medical examinations. The races and races are held on the same day, Hussein is registered in the morning at the University of Zurich with multiple choice questions and would have flown in the evenings to Berlin over the hedges. Now he is focusing on completing his medical studies. And the new season. Since he's wanted a World Cup medal. This sounds like a very ambitious goal, if you look at the recent history of Hussein's injuries.