Sports jargon says that luck goes with the champion.

But that theory bears little merit for former May 24 Marathon Derby winner Errol Cormack. The only luck he's had since that 1992 triumph has been downright rotten.

For the third year in succession Cormack's only role in the prestigious road race will be that of unwilling spectator.

Having trained hard for this year's May classic, the Jamaican-born runner ran out of luck again on Tuesday when he became the victim of a two-vehicle road accident on Middle Road.

Riding his motorbike he was involved in a collision with a station wagon, suffering a badly bruised left leg that has definitely ruled him out of next month's race.

"My leg is all messed up. It's battered and bruised and really swollen and I won't be able to run for a while,'' said Cormack, when contacted yesterday.

"There's nothing broken, but there are a few cuts that you can see.

"I've seen a doctor and had X-rays and they say there's nothing broken, but I think I'll have to see a specialist to find out if there is any damage to the cartilage or ligaments.

"I hit the knee pretty hard and right now it definitely doesn't feel right.'' For Cormack, the incident was the latest chapter in a string of misfortune.

First, severed nerves behind the left knee suffered in a knife accident sidelined him for several months and prevented the defence of his May 24 crown as well as threatening a promising career.

A period of intense rehabilitation of the injured limb followed, but just as a full recovery appeared certain, Cormack suffered another blow.

This time a fractured bone in the same leg, incurred during a road accident when he was struck from behind by a motorcyclist, kept him off the roads again.

Determined to conquer the injury bug, Cormack embarked on yet another period of rigorous therapy and eventually returned to place ninth overall in this year's ADT Marathon in two hours, 47 minutes, 29 seconds.

His next goal, until Tuesday's accident, was to have been the May 24 race.

He was involved in an accident with a station wagon as its driver pulled out of a driveway on Middle Road near Stowe Hill, and taken to hospital by ambulance.

"Yeah. It's very much a disappointment,'' said Cormack, his voice diminishing. "I wasn't aiming for anything special (in May 24), but I wanted to run hard and run good.

"Now I'll just be watching.'' He estimated that it would likely be sometime in the summer before he could resume serious training. But he emphasised he would be back.

ERROL CORMACK -- ruled out of the May 24 Marathon Derby for the third successive year, this time following a motorbike crash on Tuesday.