Athletics-Injured Barber pulls out of heptathlon

GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Aug 7 (Reuters) France's Eunice Barber was forced by a thigh injury to withdraw from the heptathlon at the European athletics championships Today while leading the event, a French team source said.

Barber, who was ahead of Sweden's Carolina Kluft after the first two of the seven events, suffered from a sore left thigh, the source said. The France team are to issue a statement later with further details.

The Frenchwoman, who won the heptathlon world title in 1999 and came second to Kluft at the last two world championships, was still hoping to recover in time to take part in the long jump event of the Gothenburg championships, the source said.

Barber was world long jump champion in 2003.

The 32-year-old led the Gothenburg heptathlon with 2,201 points after the 100 metres hurdles and the high jump.

Kluft, now an even stronger favourite to retain her title in the absence of her main rival, was in second place, 36 points back on 2,165 points.

REUTERS ay rk2242