Caudery suffers injury heartbreak in Tokyo

Molly Caudery’s bid for world pole vault gold was ruined by injury in Tokyo, where the brutal conditions led to Emile Cairess pulling out of the men’s marathon less than three miles from the end of the race.

Briton Caudery, the 2024 world indoor champion, rolled her ankle in the warm-up after she planted her left foot into the landing mat after a run-through.

The 25-year-old, who failed to qualify for the Olympic final last year, received medical attention and was given support from her fellow athletes as the realisation struck that her competition had ended before it had even begun.

Emotional, she covered her face with her hands as she was taken away from the track in a wheelchair shortly before the competition got under way.

British Para-athlete Stef Reid said on BBC TV: “It is just a freak accident. She has done nothing wrong. To see it end like that, in tears, that is not how she wanted to come away from Tokyo.

“She was coming here looking to have a redo of Paris. When it comes to athletics, these opportunities don’t come around a lot.

“The pole vault mats are meant to be soft, she must have caught her ankle at a terrible angle. It’s devastating.”

Five-time javelin global medallist Steve Backley said: “It’s just so frustrating for Molly.

There was further injury heartbreak for Sarah Tait, who fell at a water jump less than two minutes into her women’s 3,000m steeplechase heat.

The 24-year-old, who lowered her personal best by more than 30 seconds this year to make her first global championship, could not continue and departed in tears on a wheelchair.

“Sarah is in the form of her life. She has done so well to make it to these championships. Sadly for her, that is a terrible way for it to end,” said 1983 world 1500m champion Steve Cram.

With temperatures of about 30C accompanied by intense humidity continuing to pose a challenge to the athletes in the Japanese capital, Cairess was unable to complete the men’s marathon.

The 27-year-old Briton, a medal contender after placing fourth at the Paris 2024 Olympics, stopped by the roadside with less than three of the 26.2 miles remaining and the lead group beginning to move out of reach.

“I tried my best. I just got too hot, simple as that really. The conditions were so tough,” said Cairess, who finished third in last year’s London Marathon.

“When I stopped, I just took ages to just feel all right again. I used all the stations to be diligent with the ice and the sponges. While it helped, it just still got too hot.

The race was won in a thrilling sprint to the line, the second in as many days in the marathon events, as Tanzania’s Alphonce Simbu pipped Germany’s Amanal Petros to win his nation’s first global title.

Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred will not contest the women’s 200m later this week after suffering a hamstring injury during the 100m final.

St Lucia’s Alfred achieved bronze in the sport’s blue riband event on this occasion, one year after winning her nation’s first Olympic medals in Paris, where she also collected 200m silver.

But, in doing so, she sustained a grade one hamstring strain and has withdrawn from the championships.

Alfred’s agent Henry Rolle told Jamaican News Centre: “With that information, she will withdraw from the 200m as she won’t be close to her regular self and we definitely won’t put her in a position where she could damage herself even further.