Sutton's Harry Aikines-Aryeetey has revealed he is still running with the two stress fractures in his back that kept him out for the entire 2007 outdoor season.

The 20-year-old Sutton & District sprinter, who was this week included in the Great Britain relay squad for next month's World Championships in Berlin, spent months in a back brace and was unable to even go up stairs.

However, he returned to fitness last year and insists he is encouraged by the times he is setting, despite not making the individual team for the Worlds.

"I've still got the injury," he said.

"The cracks have never heeled, it's just about maintaining it with physio and being smart about what I do, no long drives for example and just being smart with my body.

"The fact that despite that I am still running as fast as I am and hoping to break 10 seconds someday soon is the idea and I have just got to keep with that and then the sky is the limit."

With three spots in the men's individual 100m up for grabs in Berlin, selectors opted for Simeon Williamson, Dwain Chambers and Tyrone Edgar ahead of Aikines-Aryeetey after he missed out on the final at Crystal Palace last Friday night by just 0.03 seconds.

Afterwards, the Loughborough University student felt the wind, as well as Edgar's disqualification for a false start, put paid to his chances of claiming an individual spot.

"A great opportunity was there but Mother Nature has got one over on me," he said.

"We had a -3m/s headwind and the other heat had -1.5m/s, that's a good tenth difference.

"Had I made the final then individual might have been more likely but it's one of those things.

"Tyrone has run 10.09 and you can't take that away from him but this would have been a good opportunity had I beaten him but he got disqualified.

"I am only 20 though and have got to take it in my stride."

Aikines-Aryeetey will instead go to Berlin as a member of the relay team alongside Edgar, Williamson, Marlon Devonish, Rikki Fifton and Craig Pickering and he was in boyish mood after the team's third place at Crystal Palace.

"I think we can medal and I would love to anchor the team to gold," he said.

"British sprinting at the moment at all levels is all good.

"Two people made the final at Crystal Palace and when you look at everything on paper the guy that just got ahead of me has a best of 9.89 so they are not that far ahead.

"If you put us on a level playing field we will show what we are made of."