British sprint hurdler Andy Turner admitted it may have been a mistake to compete at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin.

Turner sustained a hamstring injury during the British team’s warm weather training camp in the Algarve nine days ago.

He only returned to training at the weekend after intensive treatment but was clearly well below his best as he trailed home a distant fifth in his heat.

It’s another blow for Turner, who was stripped of his top-level lottery funding after last year’s Beijing Olympics.

Despite that setback, he has enjoyed a successful 2009 – just missing out on a medal at the European Indoor Championships in Turin earlier this year.

“I’m really disappointed, especially after a good season,” he said.

“I can take a lot of positives from the way I’ve run this year and I’ve run consistently quicker than I’ve done before. I’m just annoyed that I couldn’t do it here.

“But my body let me down and I’m going to have to rest it – if I can get back for the rest of the season, I will do.

“But I’ve learnt from this not to rush things.”

Turner’s time of 13.73 seconds was well outside his season’s best.

There was also disappointment for former world youth bronze medallist Gianni Frankis, who failed to advance.

However, Will Sharman finished third in his heat in 13.52 to progress to the semi-finals.

“I made sure I got into a position to go through to the next round,” he said.

“I’ll have to step it up a gear but I believe I can do it.”

Meseret Defar was fastest into the women’s 5,000m final – as Ethiopian and Kenyan runners dominated the top seven places in qualifying.

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