Lisa Dobriskey says she never gave up on her dream of making the London Olympics despite the past year being devastated by a potentially life-threatening lung problem.

It has emerged that the 28-year-old New Romney star - who won gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and silver at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin - has been suffering with blood clots on her lungs.

The result of the clots was a vastly-reduced lung capacity - a problem which was picked up by hospital scans after Dobriskey had reported problems breathing at the end of training sessions.

Coupled with a femur injury, the condition threw Dobriskey’s future into athletics in doubt, which makes her scheduled performance in the 1,500m heats at Saturday’s British Olympic trials all the more remarkable.

The former Ashford AC star (pictured) said: "The worst case scenario usually is that you could fracture a bone or tear a muscle, but at one point it was looking as though I was going to have to stop completely."

She revealed: "I’d just been training. We were getting a little bit concerned because I had a breathing problem that was getting worse rather than better.

"Initially we just thought it was a fitness thing, but it got to point where I couldn’t do a five minute warm down. It was just awful. I couldn’t catch my breath."

She revealed she was persuaded by a doctor to have tests and when the results emerged, she was rushed to hospital for a scan which showed her lung capacity had been reduced by a fifth due to the clotting.

Dobriskey was then admitted to the Royal Derby Hospital where she was administered anti-blood clotting drugs, before later consulting specialists in London.

She revealed the results of a second scan, shortly after beginning a course of treatment, were crucial to her being able to compete this weekend.

She said: "If it looked like improvement, I’d be safe to continue training, but if there’d been no improvement or worse, I’d have to stop.

"Fortunately it was a positive result and I got the green light. From a hopeless situation, everything turned round overnight."

Dobriskey revealed: "The haematologist in London had said the worst case scenario, was that the ultimate consequence if I carried on running would be death. Which was really terrifying.

"You don’t expect somebody to say that to you as a sportswoman. It was a really, really difficult day - to realise this could potentially be life-threatening. Nothing’s really worth the risk of your life.

"I saw a specialist and he was a bit more optimistic in terms of recovery and it was him that prompted the second scan."

Dobriskey ran 4.12 in a students meeting near her base in Loughborough last week and said: "That was my first race of the year - 4.12 is fine. It was a relief.

"We didn’t know quite what would happen. My breathing was much, much better - it’s improving every time I run. I feel a bit more normal."

The former Ashford AC runner reached the Olympic A qualifying time with a 4.04.76 performance last year, but rivals Hannah England (4.01.89), Laura Weightmann (4.04.88), Charlene Thomas (4.07.06) and Steph Twell (4.07.09) have all set Olympic qualifying times this season so qualification this weekend will be a challenge.

However Dobriskey said: "I can definitely turn things around quickly, I’ve got a little less time before the trials, but I’m still hopeful.

"There’s been no point when I’ve thought I can’t go to the Olympics. I’ve always held on to that dream. I do have quite a strong faith in my ability.

"After last year - it was such a difficult year for me - I have come a long way since then.

"All the rehab, countless hours in the pool, on the bike, on the underwater treadmill, every piece of equipment you can imagine - I couldn’t waste that investment. I can’t throw it away. It’s been driving me all the time.

"I’ve never really thought it wasn’t possible. After all I’ve been through, I can’t accept defeat."