THE LATEST in the aches, pains & eligibility departments:
Emma Bates was derailed by plantar fasciitis at the Chicago Marathon and had to walk several times en route to her 2:25:04.
Defending NYC champion Evans Chebet has withdrawn from this year’s marathon, but no reason was made public.
France’s Wilfred Happio, 4th in the ’22 WC 400H, has had surgery to correct a chronic groin lesion.
Geoffrey Kamworor has withdrawn from the NYC Marathon after suffering a pelvic stress fracture in training. “I had hoped to compete and win New York again, which would have put me in a good position to be selected in Team Kenya for the Paris Olympics. I am still optimistic. I won’t lose hope.”
Kelvin Kiptum almost withdrew from the Chicago Marathon where he broke the World Record. According to his coach, “He suddenly fell sick two weeks ago, leaving his body weak. What worsened everything was the acute tonsillitis which had made his neck swollen.”
Vaulter Renaud Lavillenie had surgery on his left thigh in September and reports that his recovery is going well, saying “I still have 6 weeks where I shouldn’t pull on my [hip joint].” But he says he has resumed cycling on a trainer and is trying to rebalance his muscle mass so he can resume jogging in December.
Namibian sprinter Christine Mboma plans to return to competition in March after her temporary ban because of DSD rules. Her coach says that the medication she is on to regulate her condition has had no effect on her performance: “Her speed remains intact.”
British sprinter Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake has undergone surgery for a broken foot.
Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, winner of javelin silver in Budapest, dropped out of the Asian Games at the last minute because of a chronic knee injury.
Karissa Schweizer reports that she has now had surgery to correct Haglund’s deformity in her left Achilles; she had the right done two years ago. “I have full confidence that I can comeback from this surgery even stronger as I’ve been through this before.”
German middle-distance runner Katharina Trost has retired, saying, “My priorities have changed.”
Aliphine Tuliamuk withdrew from Chicago because of a hamstring injury.
Cuban triple jumper Davisleidis Velazco, a past Pan-Am Junior gold medalist with a PR of 47-¾ (14.34), defected to the U.S. in early October.
Britain’s Laura Weightman has retired at 32 due to persistent injuries.
Clayton Young ran 2:08:00 in Chicago after a long comeback from plica syndrome and a February surgery to deal with the knee issue.
Doping bans:
10 years — Titus Ekiru (Kenya, marathon);
6 years — Divine Oduduru (Nigeria, sprints);
4 years — Yelena Korobkina (Russia, distances);
3 years — Daisy Cherotich (Kenya, marathon), Nzubechi Grace Nwokocha (Nigeria, sprints). □