DAME Kelly Holmes is not competing in this week's World Championships in Helsinki but the double Olympic champion could still play a role in finally breaking Britain's medal duck.

When Middlesbrough-based Chris Tomlinson lines up for the qualifying round of the long jump tomorrow he will be defying a catalogue of injury problems that repeatedly looked certain to wreck his season.

A torn adductor muscle in February was quickly followed by a broken toe, and things got even worse when the 23-year-old was forced to have a hernia operation just as he should have been strutting his stuff on the summer Grand Prix stage.

With a World Championship appearance becoming less and less likely, Tomlinson was ready to write off his season and wallow in a mixture of self-pity and regret.

But, just as he was approaching his lowest ebb, the normally bubbly Teessider turned to Holmes' autobiography for inspiration. Little more than a month later he was boarding the plane to Helsinki.

"It's been the hardest year of my life," admitted Tomlinson, who fell just three centimetres short of his personal best when finishing fifth in last year's Olympic final in Athens. "There were definitely times when I thought my season was over.

"It was hard. I was going from one problem to the next and it was difficult not to think 'Why don't I just pack this in and start all over again'.

"But when you're down, you look for ways to lift yourself and make things better.

"You've got to do it yourself, but you can take inspiration from other people and I don't mind admitting that I've taken a lot from Kelly Holmes.

"Her problems have been well documented and I read her autobiography while I was recovering.

"She was in a worse place than I've been and she came back to win two Olympic golds. What happened to her persuaded me that my problems would clear up and I could come back better for the experience."

Any injury is difficult for a sportsman to deal with - especially an athlete who has no team-mates or colleagues to rely on for support - but Tomlinson's recent problems have dealt him a particularly bitter blow.

After climbing into the world's top eight at the end of last season, this week's World Championships looked like offering the ideal opportunity of converting his obvious ability into a tangible reward.

A top-three finish would have earned Tomlinson his first major medal and elevated him into the highest rank of the British team, an echelon currently reserved for Holmes, Paula Radcliffe and the members of last year's Olympic gold-medal winning 4x100m relay team.

Anything is still possible of course, but this season's woes have led to an inevitable lowering of expectations.

"It's always frustrating to get injured but this has been particularly hard to take because this was supposed to be a breakthrough season for me," said Tomlinson.

"I was satisfied with how things went in the Olympics but felt ready to take things on to that next level.

"At the start of the season I really felt a World Championship medal was a realistic target. It still might be, but obviously a lot has happened since then to set me back.

"I honestly thought somewhere around 8.50m was achievable this season. I've still got a bit of time left but it's going to be hard to get myself straight into that kind of shape in a week or so."

Tomlinson's recovery from his latest hernia problem has severely restricted his preparations for this weekend's event.

While his general fitness is back to an acceptable level, the technical nature of the long jump means his first attempt tomorrow will be something of a leap into the unknown.

"I feel fit enough in myself now - all of the running and weights work has gone to plan - but I haven't been able to do anything like the amount of technical work that I would have liked to," said Tomlinson.

"The last time I actually competed was the middle of February so, unfortunately, there's got to be a bit of a question mark over what's going to happen.

"I suppose I'm back to where I would be at the start of a season. That's obviously not ideal but it's not as much of as a problem as it would be if I was doing a track event.

"I'm bound to be a little bit rusty but I only have to get it right once. Even with everything that's happened, I'm confident I've got that inside me."

Injuries can, of course, present insurmountable obstacles to an athlete's career.

But, as Tomlinson knows full well, they can also be overcome. For proof of that, he needs only turn back to Holmes.