Benji Pearson: 'Injuries cost me'

English javelin hopeful Benji Pearson has admitted that injuries cost him a place in tomorrow's final of the event at the Commonwealth Games.

The 20-year-old finished 18th overall from a field of 22 in Friday night's preliminaries and later conceded that his chances had been limited by a combination of knee and shoulder problems.

"I've had tendonitis for about four years," he told reporters afterwards. "I've spoken to a doctor back in the week and he says a bit's broken off and it might irritate my tendon. It won't be a big operation if I have that done, but that would be such a big thing to do because I can't obviously train properly. But most of the guys are carrying niggles and stuff anyway, it's just part of sport I think."

Speaking to Sports Mole, he added: "I wasn't fazed by the event or anything. It felt like anything other competition. It's just a shame when you know you can't get it all right because your shoulder's not fully functioning."

The men's javelin final gets underway at 7.20pm on Saturday at Glasgow's Hampden Park.