James Ellington back on his feet and says he will be back on track in 2018

James Ellington is determined to return to action next year after the British Olympic sprinter took his first steps since breaking his pelvis and both legs in a motorcycle accident.

The 31-year-old, who competed for Team GB in the 100m and 4x100m relay at the Olympics in August, was riding pillion with his team-mate Nigel Levine, who represented Britain in the 4x400m relay in Rio, when their bike was involved in an accident with a car in Tenerife.

Ellington, who was also sustained two fractures in an eye socket, had a series of operations in Spain. He admitted he felt lucky to be alive but, only two weeks after the crash, he posted a message on Instagram showing him taking a few tentative steps.

“First proper steps with a fractured pelvis,” he wrote on Wednesday, “fractured left leg and completely broken right leg. Can’t believe the progress so far – the hospital physio thought I would be in a wheelchair for at least six weeks before I could even attempt this. I will be back 2018.”

Ellington faces months of rehabilitation and an accurate assessment of his chances of returning to top-class athletics next year is unlikely to be made until this summer at the earliest.

Levine, who also fractured his pelvis, was set for surgery on Wednesday. His prognosis is unclear.

Russia’s track and field athletes have been stripped of another medal from the 2012 London Olympics after the 400m runner Antonina Krivoshapka tested positive for the steroid Turinabol. That means her sixth-placed finish in the 400m individual event and Russia’s second-placed finish in the relay have been wiped from the record books. The United States won the relay event and Jamaica finished third, with Ukraine fourth.

The Russian discus thrower Vera Ganeeva tested positive for the same substance and her 23rd-placed finish at London 2012 has been expunged. The Turkish boxer Adem Kilicci, who reached the quarter-finals of the middleweight (67-75kg), also tested positive for Turinabol and was disqualified.

The three positive tests took the total to 40 adverse findings from 492 samples reanalysed from the London Games. Of the 1,053 samples reanalysed from the Beijing 2008 Olympics, 61 have been positive.