Women will compete in the high jump at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on Friday. Britt Weerman is not there in the Hungarian capital. Due to a knee injury, she experiences a lost outdoor season.
The unfortunate athlete from Assen follows the global title fight in front of the TV. ,,It is a strange feeling to watch matches from the bench, when you could have been there yourself. It’s very bummed that I can’t be there. Unfortunately, injuries are part of top sport. If I had participated, my first goal would have been to get into the final. Not easy, because only 12 of the 36 participants go to the final battle. Ultimately, I would like to be at my best,” she says.
The Drenthe is only twenty, but already has an impressive honors list. In Weinheim, Germany, she set a new Dutch indoor record at the beginning of February of this year with a height of 1 meter and 96 centimeters. She equaled this twice. The national record on the outdoor track has also been in her hands for over a year, with 1 meter and 95 centimeters.
Strong performance at World Cup under 20 years
In Colombia, she finished second at the world championship for athletes under 20 years old last year. Later in 2022 she caused a sensation by finishing fourth at the European Championship in Munich. At the beginning of March of this year, she continued her success series: she finished second at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul. Since then she has disappeared from the competition scene.
“What exactly is going on? I have jumper knee. The patellar tendon is then irritated and overloaded. It’s a typical jumper’s injury.” The problem emerged in April during a training camp in Monte Gordo, Portugal. She remembers: ,,At that time I was still able to jump high, but over time the complaints got worse. From the beginning of May until now I have not jumped anymore. Nothing specific happened that caused the complaints. It came on slowly and got worse and worse, until the high jump was impossible.”
Recovery is taking longer than expected
Initially, it was thought that the injury would not be too bad. Weerman: “But my knee appears to be so irritated that the recovery has now taken almost four months.” Everything and anything passed in review: examinations, rest, treatments, adapted training. But no competitions. “I was looking forward to games all season. Then I thought I would win that match. However, when it got close, it became clear that I wasn’t going to make it. That’s how I basically crossed out matches all season. Disappointing, as I felt super fit otherwise.”
Slowly but surely, the Groningen Athletics athlete is noticing the effects of the injury treatments. At the moment she mainly does specific strength training and exercises to maintain her overall condition. “Things are slowly moving in the right direction,” she says.
Paris remains the main target
But she also knows that there is still a long way to go. ,,I’m going to take my recovery slowly and don’t rush anything, so that I don’t get more pain again. In the short term, my goal is to get back to full fitness and make sure I’m taxable again. The most important thing for me is to make sure I don’t get injured for the next year and a half. Preferably never again, of course.”
She has completed her third year of commercial economics at the Johan Cruyff Academy. In the coming gap year, she wants to fully focus on athletics. ,,I hope to reach tournaments again: the world indoor championship, the European outdoor championship and of course the Olympic Games in Paris, my biggest goal”, she concludes.