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'Brutal': Olympic pole vault champion Kennedy pulls out of worlds / Photo: Christian Petersen - GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
'Brutal': Olympic pole vault champion Kennedy pulls out of worlds
Olympic pole vault gold medallist Nina Kennedy pulled out of the world championships on Friday with a strained muscle in a "brutal" setback having just recovered from a hamstring operation.
The Australian, who is also the world champion, had spoken this week about her battle to recover from surgery in time for the championships in Tokyo from September 13-21.
But after being named in the Australian team, her efforts proved to be in vain.
"Not the news I want to be sharing," the 28-year-old said on Instagram. "Sooooo I've strained a muscle in my leg in one of my last sessions before worlds (not near the surgery site, which is a win).
"I'm sad to say I'll be withdrawing from the world championships.
"Sport can be brutal," she added. "But injuries are just part of the journey, and that's ok."
Kennedy said this week she planned to keep competing till the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and wanted to break Yelena Isinbayeva's 2009 world record of 5.06 metres.
Her current personal best is 4.90m.
O.Poirier--SMC
