Tasha Danvers insists she is keeping a positive frame of mind despite being ruled out of next month's World Championships through injury.

The 31-year-old Croydon Harrier pulled her hamstring competing in Cardiff last month and will also miss this weekend's UK trials and her home grand prix at Crystal Palace on July 24 and 25.

Speaking at the opening of the London Youth Games on Thursday, the 400m hurdler said: "I don't see any negatives in situations like this. If I am not ready for a certain thing then it just gives me more time to be ready for something else.

"My attitude towards being injured is not like it worries me. I will have my moment where I'm a bit depressed or crying but then I just get on with the business of getting better.

"All that negative energy just slows down the recovery time. I keep myself happy and positive and it just helps me recover quicker.

"The season was going really well and I was coming down gradually but everything happens for a reason and I am sure I will figure out what it is soon enough."

The Olympic bronze medallist used to live within walking distance of Crystal Palace but will now miss the competition because of injury for the second year in a row.

She was there on Thursday though to light the torch for the Youth Games, featuring the best teams from the capital's boroughs competing in various sports.

"I love anything to do with kids, it's all good and fun," she said.

"I competed in it in the early 1990s and I remember it being something that you look forward to, it's the biggest competition and you can't really get better than it for any sport at this age.

"I hope to inspire the kids to stay out of trouble and I think sport does that - it kept me out of trouble and that's a fact.

"I had a lot of friends who were trouble but sport kept me out of it because I was always thinking about training and not messing up my body.

"I didn't want to smoke because I knew I couldn't run fast then."

Fellow Croydon Harrier Martyn Rooney has failed to overcome his hamstring pull in time for the trials but is still hopeful of competing at Crystal Palace.