SEAN Baldock fears his international career may be over at the age of 28.

The Hastings AC star admits his injury-plagued body may ruin any chance of breaking back into the Great Britain squad and reaching a third Olympic Games in 2008.

Baldock has not competed for his country since running in the 4x400m relay at the Athens Olympics in 2004 and has only just returned to light training following knee surgery in May.

He has no plans to return to major competition next season and will instead concentrate on helping Hastings win promotion from division two of the Southern Men's League.

"I haven't woken up in the last couple of years without having one injury or another so I think it might be time for me to take a step back," admitted Baldock.

"I'm not saying I've given up on international athletics but there is no way I can continue to put my body through the kind of punishment I have over the last ten years without a break.

"I was told by the British team doctors after Athens that I should retire because of a long-term back injury but I kept going because I felt I still had a lot to offer.

"I joined a new training group and was raring to go but then I picked up the knee injury which wrote off my whole season.

"Every time I went round a bend it felt like my knee was going to snap. I saw a specialist who works on all the Chelsea players and is supposed to be the best in the country but he didn't really know what the problem was.

"They stuck a camera in my knee and found loads of scar tissue which you only usually get after an operation. They had no idea where it came from but it shows the punishment my body has been subjected to.

"That just hammered the point home that I need to give my body a rest. I would love to make it to Beijing in 2008 but I'll have to see how my body feels next season before making any decisions on my future."

Baldock has competed at every major championships since bursting onto the international scene eight years ago.

He has won gold medals as part of the British relay quartet at the 1998 European Championship and 2002 Commonwealth Games as well as a bronze at the World Indoor Championships.

The highlight of his career came when he qualified in the individual 400m for the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and ran alongside world record holder Michael Johnson in his heat.

Baldock would love to pit his wits against the world's best again but admits those days are probably behind him.

"I've had some great times through athletics but I've got other priorities now," he said.

"I'm building up my sports massage business and am getting married in August. Any spare time I have I spend renovating a place I've just bought in Hastings.

"I'll miss some of the camaraderie and banter you get being part of a training group but I'll still get that with Hastings. I was down there the other day and was struggling to keep up because I'm so out of shape but it was nice just to be involved."