Athletics: U.S. hurdler Harrison set for finger surgery, expects quick return

[May 09, 2017]  By Gene Cherry

(Reuters) - Hurdles world record holder Keni Harrison will have surgery on a broken finger on Thursday but the American hopes to be back racing in less than a month, her coach told Reuters on Monday.

Harrison broke the bone when she hit a hurdle in warm-ups before Friday's Diamond League meeting in Doha. Despite the pain, she went on to win the race.

Doctors will determine when she is able to race again but "she'll be ready to hurdle in about three weeks," coach Edrick Floreal said in a telephone interview.

Harrison returned to sprint workouts on Monday, posting a video of the session on her Twitter account.

"There's no danger," Floreal said, adding that the injury was to the middle finger of her left hand.

"She has a cast on the hand, so she is able to practice. She can't move the arm-swing really crazy but the hand doesn't hurt moving it back and forth."

A specialist will insert a pin in her broken finger on Thursday in Lexington, Kentucky, allowing her to hurdle again in practice.

Her next major race will be the U.S. nationals/world championships trials in Sacramento, California on June 22-25.

Harrison may not need to compete in the hurdles there to make the U.S. team for August's world championships in London.

Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (left) and Keni Harrison (middle) and Queen Harrison (right) compete during the women’s 100m hurdles semifinals in the 2016 U.S. Olympic track and field team trials at Hayward Field. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

As the 2016 Diamond League champion in the 100 meters hurdles, Harrison has a wild card entry into the world championships and needs only to run in any event at the U.S. nationals to collect the free pass.

"She could run the 100 or 200," Floreal said.

Harrison will be looking forward to a return to the London track.

Days after failing to make the U.S. team for the 2016 Rio Olympics, Harrison broke the 100m hurdles world record there last July, clocking 12.20 seconds.

The record had stood for 28 years.

(Editing by Peter Rutherford)

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