Injured Daniel Keatings to miss World Championships

Highlights - Keatings wins World silver

European champion Daniel Keatings has suffered a serious knee injury, forcing him to sit out the rest of the season.

Last month he defeated Olympic bronze medallist and fellow Briton Louis Smith to win gold on the pommel horse at the European Championships in Birmingham.

But the 20-year-old Keatings injured his knee a few days later when he twisted it on landing in training.

A scan showed he damaged his anterior cruciate ligament and he now faces at least nine months on the sidelines.

Keatings has already had surgery and will definitely miss the World Championships in Rotterdam in October.

"The good news is the surgeon said the operation was a great success and after rehabilitation I would be back fitter and stronger than before,

"The down side: rehabilitation is six to nine months and I have been told I will be unable to compete until this time, which unfortunately means I will miss this year's World Championships.

The GB team does contain a group of strong and excellent gymnasts who will be fighting to get into the team."

Keatings became the first British gymnast to win an all-round global medal when he took silver at last year's World Championships in London.

"The surgeons said it was very straightforward and should allow him a full recovery," said Keatings's coach Paul Hall. "He is very keen to return and has his sights firmly set on London 2012."