Team GB star forced to withdraw from the Olympics with hamstring injury - with former world champion's exit a major blow to British medal hopes

Team GB have been handed a big-name injury blow as 800 metres runner Jake Wightman has had to pull out of the Olympics. 

Wightman, the 2022 world champion over 1500m, was selected to run the 800m despite missing the British trials with a calf injury.  

The 30-year-old has a European silver medal in his less-favoured event but he will now not compete in Paris at all after withdrawing with a hamstring issue.

With World, European, Commonwealth medals under his belt, Wightman had been looking to add an Olympic feather to his cap.  

Elliot Giles has been called up to replace him in the 800m having initially been overlooked for selection.

Birmingham-born Giles is set to participate in his third Olympics and will hope for a better result after failing to reach the final in Rio and Tokyo. 

The 800m heats will begin at the Stade de France on August 8. 

It has been a challenging period for Wightman. 

A foot injury prevented him from defending his 1500m world title in Budapest last year, with fellow Brit Josh Kerr claiming it in his place. Kerr will be competing in the 1500m this year. 

Wightman was then unable to take part in the British 1500m trials due to a calf injury, which led to him being given a discretionary 800m place. 

After being unable to defend his world title, Wightman said: 'It was cruel in a lot of ways. You get given that title of being the best in the world on that day and then not being able to get back to that point in that event [was hard]. 

'I was content enough with it last year because I was like: "Whatever, I’ll be there in the mix in Paris over that distance against Josh, against Jakob [Ingebrigtsen], against everybody else."

'I always believed that and even from Eugene, where I ran okay, I knew that I had a fair bit to go still to be able to be at my best and then I was not be able to show that. 

'I think it’ll be hard when the 1500m final goes off in Paris. It’ll be what I initially thought was going to be the pinnacle of my season, but I’ve had a lot of time to realise that that isn’t the case now. It just is what it is.'