Will Great Britain win a medal at this year's World Athletics Championships? Will we even have any finalists? Osaka is less than a week away and it's all doom and gloom in the British camp. Injuries again have plagued the team, with stars such as Aisha Hansen and Paula Radcliffe ruled out of athletics' most prestigious event. 

Where are the Linford Christies, Colin Jacksons, Jonathan Edwards and Sally Gunnells of the future? Who can we rely on to get guaranteed medals? No-one is the answer! Even the men's 4 x 100 relay team dropped the baton at a practice event earlier this month!

It seems that Britain's athletes are always injured for the big events or consistently out of form when it comes to the important races. Who is to blame? Do we make being a athlete too easy now with the amount of lottery funding and help we are give them? Are our coaches good enough?

'It seems that Britain's athletes are always injured for the big events or consistently out of form when it comes to the important races'

In the USA trials, the top three make it into the Championships of each event. Easy! However, in the UK we are having to wait for athletes' injuries to heal or wait to see if anyone has a good race before the Championships before our selectors confirm the teams to go to Osaka. Surely the American way is fairer and also, as mentioned earlier, actually easier for selection purposes!

So let's hope the youngsters can do the nation proud and collect at least a couple medals in Japan. But long-term, the Brits need to look at Beijing next year and the 2008 olympics. if not, then the UK could be embarrassed when the Olympics finally reach London in 2012.