By Symone Goss, World-Track
MOSCOW — Evgeny Lukyanenko, the Beijing Olympic Games pole vault silver medallist will skip next month’s IAAF World Championships in Berlin, reports suggested.
The Russian who finished behind Australia’s Steven Hooker in the event last summer has reportedly become ill and was instructed by his doctor to do surgery as soon as possible.
"I was feeling fine just a few months ago but then I started having pain in my joints," local media quoted Lukyanenko as saying on Thursday.
"Then (doctors) told me I have problems with my lymph nodes and I’ll need surgery soon so I won’t compete this year at all."
The 24-year-old world indoor champion from Valencia 2008 had already cleared 5.60m this season.
He owns a personal best of 6.01m.
Meanwhile, the world championships, which will feature some the world’s most talented athletes from their respective nations, run from Aug. 15-23.
