Saif Saaeed Shaheen, world record holder in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, withdrew from the Asian Games because his Achilles tendon injury causes him to limp while running.

"He just can't run," Shaheen's manager, Ricky Simms, said in a statement posted on the official games web site on Thursday.

"There's no real decision to be made. He's limping when he's running."

The 24-year-old Shaheen, born in Kenya but who has won two world championship titles for Qatar, was planning to run in the steeplechase and 5,000 meters at Doha.

He was first reported to have withdrawn on Wednesday, although Qatar team authorities said at the time they had no information on Shaheen's condition.

Simms said Shaheen has been bothered with the injury for several months.

"He's had problems with his Achilles on and off since the end of the track season," said Simms. "When athletes are competing at an elite level in the steeplechase there's always going to be the chance of injuries _ it's the nature of the event."

Shaheen had run sparingly this year, determined to be "fresh" for the Asian Games, said Simms, but despite Qatar Association of Athletic Federation arranging for the best medical treatment available, he was not able to compete.

"All the countries and all the people at the Games will be disappointed as he was going to win the gold medal," said Mohamed Suleiman, manager of the Qatari athletics team. "When you have an injury, what can you do?"