Determined teenage sprinter Nicole Sadler has now got her sights on the 2012 Olympics after bravely battling through a career threatening injury.Having joined the Ipswich Harriers Athletics Club at the age of eleven, Sadler very soon emerged as a talented sprinter, but all that seemed destined to be taken from her in the summer of 2004.

Determined teenage sprinter Nicole Sadler has now got her sights on the 2012 Olympics after bravely battling through a career threatening injury.

Having joined the Ipswich Harriers Athletics Club at the age of eleven, Sadler very soon emerged as a talented sprinter, but all that seemed destined to be taken from her in the summer of 2004.

Just weeks after representing England Schools for the first time, Sadler noticed that her leg was beginning to hurt.

Incorrectly diagnosed as shin splints to begin with, doctors eventually found out that the other muscles in her legs were not growing as fast as her calf muscles, which therefore were taking the all the strain every time she ran.

The diagnosis was described as potentially career threatening, but a determined Sadler was not about to give up on her dreams.

Spending over a frustrating year out of competition, Sadler maintained her commitment to the sport as she and Harriers coach Rickey Hanley spent every Saturday in London working with top performance coach Mike MacFarlane OBE.

Sadler's return was not entirely smooth either, minor problems constantly putting her back, however now she is fully recovered and has been constantly improving on her impressive times.

Sadler said: “It was a hard time not being able to train but my determination kept me going.

“I knew if I got through it then I would be able to carry on doing what I wanted to do.”

Coach Rickey Hanley said: “It was career threatening. A lot of athletes would have given up and not gone through the year not being able to compete.

“At times it was really hard but to come through it says a lot about her.”