Germany's former European long-jump champion Sebastian Bayer has been ruled out of August's world athletics championships in Beijing with a foot injury.

The 29-year-old, who won the 2012 European championships and finished fifth at the London Olympic Games, has suffered with a bruised heel which will keep him out of the rest of the season.

Bayer, whose indoor 8.71m leap in 2009 was the second-longest in history behind Carl Lewis's world indoor record set in 1984, will use the rest of the year to get fit for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Bayer finished ninth in the long jump at the 2013 event in Moscow.

The world championships in the Chinese capital run from August 22 to 30.
Source: AFP