IAN Rose looks set to miss out his last big hurrah after picking up the worst injury of his career during training last month.

Rose, 39 and a veteran of five Paralympic Games, came out of retirement last year to make it six at London 2012.

But a snapped Anterior Cruciate Ligament has left him needing a miracle to recover in time to compete.

The Wycombe star said: “If the operation next Thursday is a success and the injury isn’t as bad as it appears on the scan, then there is a very slim chance I could compete in London.

“But, barring a miracle, I won’t be there. There is just not enough time to get through the rehab and get into medal-winning condition.”

Rehabilitation is likely to be six to nine months.

It doesn’t help either that Rose also works, so can’t focus on getting fighting fit 24/7.

He said: “Six months is the bare minimum. That would take us to May and I probably need four months fully fit.”

Rose snapped his ACL three weeks ago, but thought he’d just pulled a muscle and continued going to gym – although not playing judo – until he realised the injury was not getting any better.

He said: “It's the worst injury I've had. I've never done it before.

"The ACL is like a big elastic band and I heard it snapping. I didn't know what it was at first and did the typical sportsman thing, thinking it would just go away.

"I thought I'd just pulled a few muscles in my knee so I kept going down the gym waiting for it to get better. But it didn't get better, it got worse.”

It’s a bitter blow for Rose, who has carried the flag for British Judo ever since going to the Barcelona Paralympics in 1992.

Since then he has gone on to become European and World Champion and competed at four more Games, collecting bronze in Atlanta in 1996 and silver in Sydney in 2004.

A back injury led to his retirement after leading the British Judo team to Beijing in 2008, but the prospect of a home Games was too much for him to resist.

He said: “I made the decision to come back, but this is it now.

“I don’t really know what to think. It’s not really sunk in yet, I’m still shell-shocked.”

Rose had been going well. He won silver at the US Open a few weeks ago and was all set for the European Championships later this month.

He said: “I’m gutted, not just for myself, but for my family who have given me so much support, for all the local clubs which have helped me by letting me train for free, clubs like Micklefield Judo Club, Wycombe Judo Centre and Windsor Judo Club, and for everyone else who has supported me, people like Dave Cooper and Richard Stone.

“I’ve got to consider what I’m going to do with the rest of my life now.”