Athletics: Hamblin races the clock for Olympics

Nikki Hamblin. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Double Commonwealth Games silver medallist Nikki Hamblin is racing the clock in a bid to prove she can be competitive at the London Olympics.

Hamblin has had a tumultuous season as she battles to return from an Achilles injury.

Although she qualified for the Olympics with a 1500m personal best of 4m 04.82s set in Barcelona in August, Athletics New Zealand indicated that she would have to demonstrate some form before the selectors rubber-stamped her ticket.

The selectors - convenor Graham O'Brien, Tony Rogers and Don Garland - will make two rounds of Olympic announcements, the first immediately following the national champs in March, the second wave in early July.

"The issue for the selectors is whether she has any current form," said Athletics NZ high-performance manager Scott Goodman.

"Obviously she doesn't have that as she's getting over her injury."

Hamblin withdrew from an international track meet in Christchurch this month and is not one of 11 athletes sent to the Sydney Track Classic this weekend. She continues to rehabilitate.

Doctors have tried injecting cortisone straight into the tendon, as well as various methods of rehabilitation including low-impact water running rather than rushing back to the track.

"The latest is that she is feeling pretty stable and she has had three or four weeks of gradual improvement and she's feeling pretty positive," Goodman said.

"There's certainly still time for her to have an Olympic campaign."

Hamblin is now coached by Kyle Barnes, having jettisoned Chris Pilone and Paul Hamblyn since her Delhi success.

Barnes said that Hamblin was back in full training and had targeted the national track and field champs at Waitakere to make her return.

She also had options to race in the Australian national champs.