In athletics, as in anything else, the best laid plans can be torn up in an instant. This time last year, Middlesbrough-born athlete Anthony Borsumato had a 12-month schedule mapped out that was meant to result in him making his first ever appearance in the Olympics this summer.

But that schedule became utterly redundant when, in the semi-final of last year's World Championships in Paris, the 400m hurdler suffered horrific injuries following a fall at the eighth obstacle.

Suddenly it was Borsumato's career, rather than just his Olympic participation, that was at stake.

Instead of a winter of warm weather training, the 30-year-old has been forced to endure months of painful recovery after breaking five bones and tearing the ligament in his ankle.

Borsumato has yet to return to the running track but, with the Olympic trials still three months away, he is refusing to call time on his Athens dreams.

"I had a plan for what I was going to do over the winter, but that got totally changed by what happened in Paris," said Borsumato.

"The injury could have been bad enough to have ended my career. I've been in and out of hospital, and the last bit of surgery wasn't completed until December.

"Since then it's just been a case of rehabilitation and a bit of general fitness work just to try to keep me ticking over.

"But all of the medical team who have been looking after me are pleased with my progress. I'm on schedule for where I need to be in terms of the trials but it's difficult to set any kind of targets at this stage.

"I'm not going to build myself up for a fall. It's just a case of putting my trust in the experts, doing what they tell me."

Borsumato's injury came at the end of a season that had seen him make great strides by claiming his first ever medal in the AAA Championships.

But, instead of being able to celebrate his achievements, Borsumato was forced to face up to a protracted battle back to fitness.

That battle is still to be won but, after being plunged into the depths of despair during his rehabilitation, the Teessider is now able to look to the future with a degree of optimism.

"There was massive disappointment when I first suffered the injury," said Borsumato. "But that was nothing compared to how I felt a few weeks into the initial recovery.

"You just feel so useless because you can't do anything and you begin to question whether you're ever going to get back to where you were.

"But the support I've had has been superb and that's helped me to stay positive and get through it.

"There are lots of other athletes who have come back from similar problems, and the doctors have told me that footballers have carried on playing after far worse injuries than this.

"So there's no reason why I can't get back to where I was and, hopefully, go on to progress."