in Malaysia because of the serious knee injury which also forced him out of the CAC Games.

Wellman, based in Arkansas, informed Bermuda Track and Field Association president Judith Simmons on Thursday night that the injury had not properly healed, and he had no option but to withdraw from the trip to Kuala Lumpur.

"He's made the decision on the advice of his physician. He hasn't completely healed and runs the risk of further injury if he does (compete),'' said Simmons yesterday.

"He's very disappointed. He didn't have to have an operation, the MRI saw that there was no other damage but there is an old injury that didn't heal properly and was causing the problem.'' Wellman is now going through rehabilitative work to strengthen the knee for the upcoming indoor season. Triple jumping produces a lot of stress on the knees and as a precautionary measure Wellman underwent MRIs on both knees.

The 30-year-old former World Indoor champion recently finished second in a meet in Germany but has not been enjoying one of his better seasons. Even so, he was seen as a good medal prospect at both the CAC and Commonwealth Games.

And his absence will be a further blow to the Bermuda team who are now left with just two track and field athletes for the September 11-20 Games -- middle distance runner Terrance Armstrong and high jumper Ronan Kane.

Meanwhile, Bermuda's former top sprinter Troy Douglas yesterday came agonisingly close to snatching a bronze medal at the European Athletics Championships in Budapest while representing his newly-adopted country, Holland.

Douglas, an Olympic semi-finalist on three occasions while running for Bermuda, informed Bermuda Track and Field Association last year that he was applying to athletics' world governing body, the IAAF, to switch allegiance.

Permission was granted and this week Douglas appeared for the Netherlands, where he has lived for several years, in his first major meet.

Having made it into the 200 metres final, he finished fourth yesterday, nosed out on the line by Britain's Julian Golding although both men were credited with the same time of 20.72 seconds.

Britain made a clean sweep of the final with Doug Walker taking gold in 20.53 and Doug Turner silver in 20.64.

Finishing fifth behind Douglas was Norway's Geir Moen, who denied Douglas the gold at the World Indoor Championships two years ago.

BRIAN WELLMAN -- Injury has ruled Bermuda's international triple jump star and five-time Athlete of the Year out of next month's trip to Malaysia.