Here’s the latest in the aches, pains & eligibility departments
Last year’s No. 2-rated 100 runner, Ronnie Baker was conspicuous in his absence from the sprint wars all year. At USATF, where his seasonal debut found him finishing 5th, he revealed that he had been dealing with a hamstring problem.
Kenny Bednarek, this year’s JC breakout sprint star, signed with Nike in early July, foregoing his last 3 years of collegiate eligibility. He was struck by a hamstring pull in the USATF 200 but tells us that it’s not too serious and he expects to run in some major Euro meets later this summer.
After the Rabat DL halfmiler Ce’Aira Brown was diagnosed with a stress reaction in her heel and focused on cross training from then until the USATF meet.
USATF heptathlon winner Erika Bougard revealed she had been dealing with a foot injury.
Kristi Castlin has been diagnosed with endometriosis. “I had just been dealing with that, a lot up-and-down. So now I’m feeling good back to my normal self just in time.”
After winning silver at the Pan-Am Junior, javelin thrower Skylar Ciccolini ended her season because of back problems.
Hurdler Kerron Clement has had hamstring issues this year.
English Gardner tore her hamstring at Millrose and had only had 4 weeks of training prior to USATF.
The NCAA 800 champ indoors and out, Bryce Hoppel of Kansas has gone pro after his junior year.
Eric Jenkins had to pull out of Des Moines with injury.
5-time U.S. 1500 champ Leo Manzano, who had not raced since the ’18 USATF meet, has announced his retirement.
After a 13:21.35 indoors, Sean McGorty seemed plenty fit for ’19, but a foot infection led to surgery, hence no USATF meet for the Stanford alum.
Michael Norman missed two weeks of practice before the USATF Championships with what he only described as a strain.
Heptathlete Ashtin Zamzow had a knee problem that limited her training after the NCAA meet.
Internationally…
Nijel Amos dropped out of the London DL 800 with a pain in his right leg. “Nothing serious,” he said. “It will be fine.”
German long jumper Melanie Bauschke has retired at the age of 31.
Elena Burkard, Germany’s national XC champion, has canceled the rest of her track season because of a foot injury.
Florida alum Yanis David, the NCAA long jump champion, had to miss the French Championships because of a right heel injury. She is planning to contest the triple jump in Doha.
Scottish hurdler Eilidh Doyle will miss the rest of the season because of pregnancy.
Pamela Dutkiewicz, who won bronze in the 100H at the ’17 Worlds, has ended her season with an unspecified injury.
Juan Miguel Echevarría pulled out of the long jump at the London DL because of hamstring pain. The Cuban star subsequently won the Pan-Am title, however.
NCAA decathlon champion Johannes Erm of Estonia has opted not to go to Doha. Instead, he wants to prepare for the Olympic year.
Back problems have ended the season for former Euro triple jump champion Max Heß of Germany.
Olympic triple jump champ Caterine Ibargüen is dealing with plantar fasciitis in her left foot and has had to reduce her training. After taking only 5th in the Pan-Am long jump she pulled out of the TJ.
Since May Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, World XC runner-up, has been sidelined by problems with his right tibialis anterior muscle. He’s still planning to compete in Doha but the 5/10K double is off; it will only be the 10,000.
Faith Kipyegon had to pull out of the London DL. The World and Olympic 1500 champ has an injury to her adductor magnus.
A bad landing in the London DL vault have Greece’s Nikoléta Kiriakopoúlou a bone edema and a 2-week layoff.
Long jump world champion Luvo Manyonga has ankle problems and says he has concerns about his fitness.
France’s Euro hurdle gold medalist Pascal Martinot-Lagarde is dealing with mononucleosis.
Lisa Mayer, who ran on Germany’s 4th-place 4×1 at both the Olympics and Worlds, has canceled the rest of her season because of unspecified health problems.
French steepler Mahiedine Mekhissi has had foot surgery and is done for the season.
World and Olympic hurdle champ Sally Pearson has announced her retirement at age 32, citing a persistent Achilles injury.
Abderrahmane Samba canceled his plans to race in London after sustaining a thigh cramp.
A stress fracture to the foot has ended the season of Swiss steeplechaser Fabienne Schlumpf, who was silver medalist at the Euros last year.
Knee problems delayed the outdoor debut of former world shot champ Christina Schwanitz.
Sprinter Gavin Smellie missed the Canadian Champs because of injury.
Germany’s Xenia Stolz, a World Indoor finalist in the long jump, has retired at age 30 because she lost her sponsorship.
Continuing back problems have made Doha an impossibility for German shot putter David Storl, who says he’s not fit enough to make the 22m (72-2¼) it would take to be competitive.
Italian sprinter Filippo Tortu is back to training after getting injured at Prefontaine.
Nafi Thiam says that she has recovered from what had looked like a serious elbow injury at Talence.
A calf strain took javelin thrower Johannes Vetter out of the German Championships.
It was just a common cold, but Jimmy Vicaut withdrew from the 100 final at the French Champs, saying, “With this rain it would be a stupid risk to take.”
Illness kept Norwegian hurdler Karsten Warholm from participating in the Euro Team Champs.
Swiss sprinter Alex Wilson, who has run PRs of 10.08 and 19.98 this season, had to pull out of the Euro Team competition with injury.
Doping bans:
8 years—Salome Biwott (Kenya, marathon);
4 years—Kemi Adekoya (Bahrain, 400), Eunice Kirwa (Bahrain, marathon), Pavel Vruchinsky (Russia, sprints);
2 years—Sanjivani Jadhav (India, 10,000);
9 months—Felix Kirwa (Kenya, marathon). □
