THE LATEST in the aches, pains & eligibility departments:
Marathoner Tristin Collins (née Van Ord) had her first child in April. The 2:25:58 performer is looking for a new sponsor after the shutdown of the ZAP Endurance team.
A posting by Oly 5K runner Abbey Cooper: “I’m now an amateur & have ‘paused’ serious training/competing — in this season of raising littles, it’s been clear I need to focus my work in the home. Hopefully not forever, but certainly for right now.”
Shot great Ryan Crouser says he will retire after the ’28 Olympics. His hope is to match Al Oerter’s four-straight gold medals, a record for the throwing events.
Allyson Felix has announced that she will come out of retirement in the hopes of winning a relay spot — and a medal — in ’28, when she’ll be 42 (see “Last Lap”).
The long recovery from a stress fracture last year will keep Krissy Gear from competing in ’26: “Haven’t cracked the code on how to get the body healthy and ready to go in the past 7 months. Guess it’s time for me to accept racing (without compromising my body) is out of the realm of possibilities any time soon — so I made the decision this weekend with my coach to not compete this year.”
USATF 1500 champ Jonah Koech bypassed the indoor season after twisting his knee over the winter.
Heptathlete Annie Kunz, 6th in the ’21 Olympics, has retired at age 33. She last competed at the ’24 Trials.
Conner Mantz pulled out of the Boston Marathon with a sacral stress fracture.
Alicia Monson is planning to start her season late. She’s recovered from knee surgery but is also dealing with hamstring issues.
Sprinter Samirah Moody was reportedly injured at the World Relays, causing the U.S. to withdraw its women’s 4×1 from the repechage round.
The ’26 campaign is already over for LJ/TJ standout Jasmine Moore, as she had surgery after an undisclosed injury following World Indoors.
A Michael Norman relay leg at the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville marked the end of a 620-day break from competition for the ’22 world 400 champion.
Fiona O’Keeffe missed the Boston Marathon with hamstring issues.
Why Natosha Rogers had to withdraw from Boston: “One unexpected curveball after another threw everything off balance. I lost the delicate harmony of managing life, stress, and high-level training — and it showed up as one injury after the next.”
Gabriella Rooker (2:24:29 PR) withdrew from the Boston Marathon, sharing that she had myomectomy (uterine issues) surgery in December but still was not ready. “I’m physically healthy and getting faster each week.”
She tweaked her hamstring racing the NYC Half-Marathon but Emily Sisson recovered in time for Boston.
The International Front
He had hoped for a European marathon record in Rotterdam, but Bashir Abdi was slowed by calf cramps, a recurrent problem for the Belgian.
Rhasidat Adeleke decided to pass on running on Ireland’s squads at the World Relays so she could focus on the early part of the summer season.
Mykolas Alekna reports that rehab for his pec tear is going well.
Jamaican great Yohan Blake has retired at age 36. His PRs of 9.69 and 19.26 still make him No. 2 ever in both sprints.
Emile Cairess, 4th-placer in the Olympic marathon, pulled out of London with a calf injury.
Jamaica’s Ryiem Forde (9.95 PR) withdrew from the World Relays squad after a training injury.
British sprinter Adam Gemili, a 3-time world 4×1 medalist, has retired at age 32.
No races until July, says the agent for Jakob Ingebrigtsen: “You want to reach a certain level when you compete. That’s why there will be no races now in May and June, that’s pretty clear. There will be nothing at Bislett Games. The goal is to compete in the major championships this summer, including the European Championships and the Diamond League.”
Peres Jepchirchir had to withdraw from the London Marathon. She is dealing with the effects of a stress fracture she suffered after the Valencia Marathon in December: “Despite my best efforts, I’m just short of [being competitive’ due to my lack of training.”
Kenya’s Rhonex Kipruto appealed his 6-year doping ban to CAS and got it reduced to 5 years. He will be eligible in May ’28, just in time for the Olympics.
Canadian vaulter Alysha Newman has been banned for 20 months by AIU after a missed test and two filing failures within a 12-month period. The ban was cut back from 2 years because she announced her retirement.
With her recent wedding, Germany’s Olympic shot champ formerly known as Yemisi Ogunleye will now be going by the last name Mabry.
Harvard’s Kiwi alum Maia Ramsden is back working with coach Alex Gibby as she returns from Achilles surgery she had last year.
Kiwi teen mile sensation Sam Ruthe is out of action awhile after getting a stress fracture in his lower leg: “It wasn’t a running related injury and was caused by lateral movement activity like football, so I will be off the radar for a bit while it heals.”
France’s Yann Schrub, bronze medalist in the World Indoor 3000, has undergone surgery for pubalgia (a sports hernia).
Ethiopia’s Zinah Senbeta, a 2:21:05 performer, has been provisionally suspended after a test for exogenous steroids.
World 100 champion Oblique Seville missed the World Relays. Jamaican journalist Kayon Raynor reports that he wanted to take a shorter flight to Gabarone, but the Jamaican federation was unwilling to pay the more expensive ticket cost. The JAAA has denied the report.
Kishane Thompson was set on racing at the World Relays, but an injury flared up while practicing relay exchanges. It caused him to also withdraw from the Velocity Fest.
After a strong start in her first meet, 5-time discus World Ranker Claudine Vita of Germany tore her Achilles. “I can’t believe the season is over before it’s even begun,” she said.
Doping Bans…
5 years – Albert Korir (Kenya, distance);
3 years – Bone Cheluke (Ethiopia, distance);
20 months – Alysha Newman (Canada, PV). □
