Bulgarian sprinter Tezdzhan Naimova will miss next month's world indoor championships in Spain to concentrate on preparing for the Beijing Olympics.

"It's not a surprising decision as all her preparation is focused on the Games in Beijing," Bulgarian athletics federation president Dobri Karamarinov said.

"She will miss the entire indoor season and she will not take part in competitions before June."

The 20-year-old Naimova, widely regarded as one of the most promising young athletes, won the 100 and 200 metres titles at the world junior championship in Beijing in 2006.

Naimova finished fifth in the 60 metres sprint at the European indoor championship in Birmingham last year, missing a podium finish by just two hundredths of a second.

Reuters