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SYDNEY, Jul 21 (Reuters) Australian world champion walker Nathan Deakes has been forced to pull out of next month's Beijing Olympics because of a hamstring injury.
Deakes was among the favourites to win gold in the men's 50 kilometre walk after winning last year's world title in Japan.
Deakes, 30, has been troubled by hamstring problems for the past four years and been ordered to have surgery after aggravating the injury while training in Switzerland last week.
''There was no decision to make unfortunately, my body made the decision for me,'' Deakes said in a statement released by Athletics Australia today.
''I have to have surgery to fix it as the hamstring tendon has come away from the bone at the pelvis.'' Deakes is the second Australian world athletics champion to withdraw from Beijing in the past fortnight, joining injured women's 400 metres hurdler Jana Rawlinson.
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