EUGENE, Oregon, (July 16) —— Great Britain pole vault national record holder Holly Bradshaw said she is “heartbroken” to withdraw from the World Championships 2022 in Eugene, Oregon on Friday after snapping her pole and landing awkwardly during warm-ups.
Bradshaw, the Olympic Games bronze medalist in Tokyo last summer was hoping to get on the podium again in Oregon, but she opted to skip the qualification as a precaution after feeling discomfort.
“The last jump of the warm-up my pole snapped in half and then I landed kind of in the box,” Bradshaw said. “It’s a bit of a blur to me as I was rotating and landed quite high on the back of my neck.
“I didn’t land on the floor but I slid down and did a bit of a number on my back. Initially I had a pain through my wrist from the vibrations of it breaking and then something going on with my hamstring.”
The 30-year-old who missed the indoor season because of “various health, body and mental challenges” told BBC Sport it was a “very scary experience.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if I’ve torn my hamstring or my glute, and I really hope I’ve not broken my wrist because that’s a long time out,” she said on the BBC website.
“I’m heartbroken, this year it’s been one thing after another, I can’t even tell you how many things have gone wrong, and this is like the icing on the cake. I’m almost having to laugh it off.”
Americans Katie Nageotte, the Olympic champion last year and two-time world silver medalist Sandi Morris, the current world leader with 4.85m, will be looking to win the gold medal for the home team in Sunday’s final.
Also advancing to the final is the Rio 2016 Olympics and London world championships gold medalist Ekateríni Stefanídi of Greece.
