CRAIG Mottram will make his long-awaited return to big-time athletics at the Diamond League meet in Stockholm next Friday.

The 30-year-old world championship medallist has been floored by a chronic achilles tendon injury since the Beijing Olympics, where a tactical error cost him a place in the 5000m final. He made a brief return to competition at the Chiba Ekiden Relay in Japan last November, but had not been back on the track for almost two years before a couple of low-key hitouts in Europe this month.

He ran his first 5000m race in Belgium two weeks ago, clocking 13:36.03, then backed up to win the 3000m at the British Milers Club meet at Watford on Wednesday in a time of 7min 50.90sec.

He will run the 5000m in Stockholm, where his coach Chris Wardlaw expects that he will run a "respectable" time.

Mottram will be able to test himself against Australia's fastest 5000m man this year, Collis Birmingham (13:10.97).

"We reckon he's pretty fit, but race fitness is another matter and it's been a long time since he had a race at this level," Wardlaw said.

After the Belgium race, Mottram declared he was "entirely pain-free" for the first time in years and excited to make his way back into the sport.

Interesting to see that Mottram is now down to run the 3,000m at the London GP, and will be joined by Collis Birmingham.

Mottram, back competing after a two-year battle with an achilles injury, was invited to compete in Stockholm but has withdrawn in favour of a lower profile 5000m race, possibly in Belgium or England.

His coach, Chris Wardlaw, said Mottram still hoped to record a Commonwealth Games qualifying time (13min 29sec) in case one of Australia's three competitors withdrew.

Craig Mottram, the 2005 world championships bronze medallist, will not contest the 5000m in Stockholm despite earning an invitation into the elite-level event.

Mottram is still feeling his way back into the sport after a long layoff with a serious Achilles injury and has decided he would be better served by running at a lower-profile meet.

"Craig ran a nice 3K race in Watford the other night, but not at the level where you'd have to be to jump right in at Stockholm," said Mottram's coach Chris Wardlaw.

"We're looking at another race in the next week or so, it could even be this weekend at 5K.

"He's fit and well, but he's had a long time out so we're not rushing anything."