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Kelly Sotherton, Jade Johnson and Chris Warburton have all withdrawn from the Aviva Great Britain and Northern Ireland Team for this weekend's European Indoor Championships in Turin.

Sotherton, who won silver in the pentathlon two years ago in Birmingham, had been struggling with a heel injury and her withdrawal comes as no surprise.

The 32-year-old missed the Aviva International in Glasgow in January with a back injury and also struggled with problem during the trials in Sheffield.

She also withdrew from the Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham on February 21 and although she insisted at the time she still hoped to compete in Turin, she did not sound too optimistic.

Long jumper Johnson, an Olympic finalist in Beijing, has pulled out due to a nerve problem in the lower part of her take-off leg while 1,500m runner Warburton has been diagnosed with an injury to his right foot.

"All the athletes would have been at risk of jeopardising their outdoor seasons by competing in Turin so we have taken a cautionary route," UK Athletics head coach Charles van Commenee said.

"Last week we believed Kelly would be able to make it but she suffered a reaction in a crucial training session on Monday morning and has made the decision to pull out."

Sporting Life / Eurosport