BERLIN, Germany:

A leader fell for Jamaica yesterday, but that will not stop him from rallying the rest of the troops.

Decathlete Maurice Smith, who claimed to be in better shape than when he won a silver medal at the last IAAF World Championships in Athletics (WCA), dropped out of this year's competition here when he suffered "a small tear of the hamstring behind the left knee" in the 100 metres, the first of his 10 scheduled events.

He checked his run near the mid-way point of the race and managed to finish his heat at the Olympic Stadium in 29.42 seconds. But he will take no further part in the meet.

For Smith, whose best time in the sprint is 10.62, it was a disappointing end to what he hoped would have been a strong performance at the WCA, coming off a win in his last decathlon competition - when he scored 8,157 points to win in Europe - and an encouraging pre-meet training camp with Jamaica.

Keeping involved

However, the 28-year-old vowed to remain involved in the rest of the WCA, taking on the role as cheerleader for his fellow Jamaican.

"I think I'll stick around and cheer on my teammates," Smith said while resting at the team hotel after an ultra sound confirmed his injury. "I'll keep them motivated, keep them going. I can't transfer that to the other athletes if I am down. I have accepted (the disappointment)."

According to Smith, he had suffered no form of that injury in 2009, but felt slight discomfort in the leg while in the warm-up area. He did not think it was serious but by the time he settled into the blocks for the start, he became convinced caution was the best approach.

"Warming up at the warm-up track I didn't know it would continue," said the man who won WCA silver in 2007 in Osaka, Japan. "I was hesitant coming out of the blocks and then I felt it and stopped before it got worse. I didn't want to make it worse."

Smith, who said he at least wanted to get through the first five events of day one of competition and give himself a chance to assess the injury, described the damage to his leg as "nothing serious". However, he will miss his final meet of the season next month in France.

Rehabilitation

He plans to rehabilitate his leg and be ready to compete in the World Indoor Championships in 2010.

"I just have to shut it down and get ready for next year," Smith said.

Despite his disappointment, his job now is to make sure Jamaica's athletes here do not have any letdown. The younger ones, especially, will get his attention.

Meanwhile, Smith, has accepted his fate as part of the life of an athlete.

"I get along with everyone," said Smith, who had started to feel better by the afternoon after receiving treatment on his leg.

"I kinda play a role in motivating the younger athletes. I understand I am down right now but I know these things happen so I just have to accept it and move on."

His teammates have offered the United States-based athlete comfort and encouragement, despite their own disappointment in Smith's fate.

"Everyone was very supportive," he said. "They were really looking forward to me competing, so I was very hurt (to drop out) but they were all supportive."

It's time for Smith to return the favour.