No rush for Bailey - Cole - Sprinter healed after injury but pacing his return to training

Kemar Bailey-Cole is reporting that he is almost fully recovered from the hamstring injury that kept him out of the recent IAAF World Athletics Championships in Beijing, China, where he feels he missed out on a possible medal in the men's 100-metre sprint won by fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt.

Bailey-Cole, the 2014 Commonwealth Games champion, had just missed out on a medal in Moscow in 2013 and was looking to atone in Beijing. But he suffered an injury at the Sainsbury Anniversary Games in London in July, while running a personal best 9.92s, the same time run by American Trayvon Brommel and Canadian Andre DeGrasse in the final in Beijing.

While trying to recuperate in Japan in time for the World Championships, the 2013 sprint relay gold medallist aggravated the injury, killing his chances for that elusive individual global medal.

losing muscle mass

So while Bolt and others racked up medals for Jamaica, Bailey-Cole underwent acupuncture, ultrasound and massage therapy, as well as rehabilitation exercises which have allowed him to now declare that the injured muscle is healed.

The sprinter, who is in Barcelona where he is among a number of athletes from different sports shooting an Olympic promotional video for Coca-Cola, said that while he is healed physically, there is still a long road to recovery.

Revealing that he has lost some muscle mass because he has been unable to train during recovery, Bailey-Cole acknowledged that he may have been worrying too much about the injury.

"The injury isn't behind me as yet. After feeling the muscle tear in Japan, I am still kind of scared of running, even though it has healed," he admitted.

As a result, he does not plan on rushing back into training. "I have to begin slowly, start strengthening the area and the areas around it so the injury won't occur again, and I am keeping a close eye on it whenever I feel something," he said, while revealing that he is yet to discuss background training with his coach Glen Mills.

Meantime, Bailey-Cole rues what he believes to be a missed opportunity at an individual global medal.

"I think I would have run much faster this year [than I did in Moscow] and even got third at the World Championships," he said.