The Swiss marathon runner, Franziska Rochat-Moser, has abandoned her attempts to qualify for the Sydney Olympics. Rochat-Moser made the announcement after pulling out of a 10,000 metres race after only four kilometres in Delemont on Saturday.

The Swiss Olympic Committee unveiled the team for Sydney last week, but had agreed to give Rochat-Moser a final chance.

To qualify, she was told she would have to run a half-marathon on September 3 in under one hour, 12 minutes.

Rochat-Moser has suffered a series of injuries in the past months. "It just didn't make sense anymore," Rochat-Moser explained. "I do not like having to pull out in this way."

Rochat-Moser is Switzerland's most successful marathon-runner. She won the New York marathon in 1997, and finished second in the Boston marathon last year.

swissinfo with agencies

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