By ADRIAN MWANZA –
SPRINTER Gerald Phiri says he has returned to full training and is geared for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Phiri, who is based in the United States of America, picked up a hip injury during the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) senior athletics championship in South Africa last month.
He said in an interview from his base that doctors have cleared him and has returned to full training as he prepares for the Olympic Games that start on August 5, to 21, in Brazil.
The Zambian 100m record holder said the injury gave him a scare looking at the time that had remained before the Olympic Games got underway but was excited to have made a full recovery.
“Well, am ready for the Olympics and I have been cleared by my medical team who confirmed that my hip had healed. I was really scared that I would not recover in time but am happy I can now prepare for the upcoming tournaments before heading to Brazil,” he said.
Phiri said he would ensure he competes in two major competitions this month before the Olympic Games.
“The injury will not have an impact on my performance in Brazil and I’m still aiming at recording a time of below 10 seconds for me to be confident of minting a medal,” he said.
He said his performance at the continental championship gave him confidence that he would perform well in Brazil even though he did not win any medals due to the injury.