DANNY Crates admits his long and successful career is in the balance after he suffered a reoccurrence of a hamstring injury during the Paralympic World Cup last weekend.

The 36-year-old Thurrock Har-rier was forced to pull out of the 800m in Manchester midway through the second lap.

And, although Crates is determined not to finish on a low, he knows the next few weeks will ultimately decide his future.

“I’m going to be out for between four to six weeks and, of course, retiring does come into your head,” said Crates. “But I don’t want to go out on a race I had to limp out of, especially as I haven’t had to do that in 10 years.

“Sunday was the first time I had worn a Great Britain vest in two years and I loved it.

“I still love racing too and want to go out on a high, not like this.

“I’ll go through the rehabilitation and hopefully that will go well so I can enjoy a better end to my career.

“We will have to wait and see what happens but my aim is to get back my running.”

Crates is targeting an appearance at Crystal Palace in July and still has the hunger to fight his way back to his best.

The former Gable Hall School pupil has already enjoyed a terrific time on the track, winning every possible title available including the Paralympics in 2004.

Crates also broke the world record in 2004 and is sure he can still match his rivals who have blossomed since his injury troubles began last season.

“When I suffered the injury on Sunday I was actually going away from the reigning Paralympic champion (Marcin Awizen) so that is a positive sign,” said Crates.

“It makes the injury even more frustrating especially after having such a great winter’s training after recovering from the Achilles problem I had.

“If I had been struggling right at the back then it would be a different story. But that wasn’t the case and I want to get back on the track.”