Steven Burke says he has had to make the best of a bad situation as he continues to fight for full fitness ahead of this week’s Track Cycling World Championships in Paris.
The 26-year-old, who won team pursuit gold at London 2012, has been recovering from a broken collar bone that he sustained in training five weeks ago and has had to undergo surgery to repair the damage.
A tailor-made recovery programme has helped Burke clinch a spot in Britain’s squad for the World Championships and, despite not being 100 per cent, he says he has to knuckle down and move on.
"The recovery went as well as it could have done," he said.
"The surgery went great. The bone is now dead straight. I got that done a couple of days after the accident and recovered quite well from it.
"I am never going to be 100 per cent at the World Championships, because I lost out on a bit of endurance work, but we have made the best of a bad situation.
“It was a bit unfortunate but we have got to press on and move on from it and do the best you can."
It’s been a topsy-turvy time for Britain’s pursuiters since London 2012 and, despite clinching silver in Minsk in 2013, there was disappointment in Cali last year as the team were only eighth fastest.
Burke missed out on that squad but British cycling chief Shane Sutton says there was no chance he would miss out this time around.
"The decision to include him was taken five seconds after he hit the deck," he said. "Even if Steven wasn't going to be 100 per cent fit, he was going to be included in this team.
"He has had a couple of lean years since London and didn't make the team last year, but at the time of the crash, I would say his numbers were better than most within the squad.
“That's indicative of the fact his desire is back and his hunger is back, and we couldn’t not take him to Paris, whether he rides or not.
"We wanted to show our faith in him and show reward for hard work he has put in."
© Sportsbeat 2015