High jumper Friedrich gets place in Germany team

Ariane Friedrich of Germany reacts during women's high jump competition at the ISTAF Berlin Grand Prix athletics, August 22, 2010.

BERLIN (Reuters) - High jumper Ariane Friedrich has been included in Germany's Olympic team despite a 14-month injury layoff which has disrupted her training.

The 28-year-old was given a wild card by the German Olympic Association (DOSB) on Wednesday after failing to reach the qualifying standard of 1.95 meters.

Friedrich, the bronze medalist at the 2009 world championships and European indoor champion the same year, has dominated the discipline in her country for almost a decade.

But her hopes of adding an Olympic medal had been threatened when she ruptured her Achilles tendon in December 2010, keeping her out of action until February this year.

She had hoped to jump 1.95 at the European championships in Helsinki last month but was forced to pull out due to a stomach infection.

(Writing by Brian Homewood in Berne; Editing by John Mehaffey)