AN Achilles tendon injury has forced double world record holder Usain Bolt to withdraw from next weekend’s Adidas Grand Prix at New York’s Icahn Stadium.

A release from the meet organisers yesterday said they had been notified by Bolt’s management team earlier in the day that the 23-year-old was suffering from an inflammation of his tendon.

Bolt, who is still in Europe, and is due back home later this week after meets in Daegu, South Korea, Ostrava and Czech Republic, is quoted as saying: “I developed a stiffness in my Achilles tendon last week and sought medical attention. After careful consultation with Dr Hans Müller-Wohlfahrt at his clinic in Munich, I have been advised to take a 2-3-week break as a precautionary measure to avoid risking further damage. Regrettably, I will have to miss the IAAF Diamond League meeting in New York on Saturday, June 12. I am well aware of the disappointment for the fans in New York and around the world, but I hope to return to New York as soon as possible.”

Bolt was to have made his first appearance at the stadium where he broke his first world record, running 9.72 seconds there in 2008 when the meet was then the Reebok Classic.

The announcement that Bolt was taking part in the meet where he was due to meet American rival Tyson Gay over the 100m distance, had seen a run on the tickets, and up to yesterday the organisers were announcing that only a handful of tickets was available for the meet.

Gay was second to Bolt in the 2008 race that was delayed by nearly three hours due to a storm.

The New York meet is the fifth stop on the 14-meet schedule that was introduced for the first time this season by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

Bolt, who has lowered the world record in the 100m to 9.58 seconds, has the second fastest legal time in the world this year, 9.86 seconds set in South Korea; trailing only compatriot and former world record holder Asafa Powell’s 9.83 seconds set two days later in Ostrava.

Bolt also ran 30.97 seconds in the seldom-run 300m in rainy and cool conditions in Ostrava, chasing Michael Johnson’s world best 30.85 seconds.

Bolt missed a number of meets last year after he was involved in a car accident when his vehicle overturned on Highway 2000, but he had escaped with only minor injuries when he stepped on thorns while exiting the overturned vehicle.

In the release yesterday, meet director Mark Wetmore expressed regret at Bolt’s withdrawal: “I know I echo the wishes of all New York area track fans when I say that we wish Usain a speedy recovery and look forward to welcoming him back next year.”

Meanwhile, Bolt will be out of action for more than a month as his next meet in the Diamond League series will be in early July in Lausanne, Switzerland.