Edwards expects Tomlinson to be selected (From Swindon Advertiser)

Edwards expects Tomlinson to be selected

8:00am Friday 29th June 2012 in London Olympics 2012 - Latest News

JONATHAN Edwards is sure long jumper Chris Tomlinson will be selected for London 2012 despite an abject performance at the Olympic trials.

Triple jump world record holder Edwards, now a TV presenter, admits he thought Tomlinson may have been injured in Birmingham, saying "he didn't look at the races".

Middlesbrough's Tomlinson failed to secure an automatic Olympic place, with Greg Rutherford beating him in Birmingham, and he is now reliant on the selectors deciding to choose a second long jumper for their squad.

In a bid to impress, Tomlinson travelled to Helsinki this week for the European Athletics Championships, and Edwards is hoping he can rediscover some form.

"Chris will get picked I think, without any question," said Edwards, speaking as he launched Lloyds TSB's National School Sport Week in London.

"But he never looked up for it from the start at the trials and you wondered actually whether he was injured.

"He just didn't look at the races at all, his whole body language didn't bode very well. He didn't look like he had a great deal of belief in his form or even his fitness.

"To be jumping 7.70m something is not great. It is half a metre down on where he would want to be. That said, Greg Rutherford only jumped 8.12m so he would have been hoping to have jumped more.

"You saw what Shara Proctor jumped the next day with a new British record so clearly it is not a bad place to jump."

The 2008 World Indoor Championships silver-medallist is a veteran of two Olympics, having competed in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.

The 30-year-old suffered an injury-hit start to the outdoor season, but Edwards is convinced he still has what it takes to challenge at the Games.

"Greg Rutherford has the equal world lead with a young Russian and I think the long jump is wide open because there are five or six athletes, including Chris," said Edwards. Long jump is wide open in the world though."