THE LATEST in the aches, pains & eligibility departments:
Swedish 5/10K record holder Andreas Almgren was injured shortly before the Olympics, and had to miss the event.
Kierra D’Amato dropped out of the Chicago Marathon after the 10K point with pain in her left foot which turned out to be a probable stress reaction or fracture in her calcaneus.
German javelinist Andreas Hofmann has retired at 32. The Diamond League champ in ’18, he has only competed once since ’22 because of a cruciate ligament tear.
Martina Hrašnová, bronze medalist in the hammer for Slovakia at the ’09 Worlds, has retired at age 41.
Pavel Maslák, the 3-time World Indoor 400 champ, has retired at 33.
Teen sprinter Christian Miller, 5th in the Olympic Trials 100, has signed with Puma and will forego NCAA competition.
Darlan Romani, Brazil’s World Indoor shot champion, is in rehabilitation for the herniated disc that caused him to withdraw from the Olympics.
An Achilles injury knocked Laura Thweatt out of the Chicago Marathon.
Polish discus thrower Robert Urbanek has retired at 37. He was bronze medalist at the ’15 Worlds.
Jake Wightman is on the comeback road from injury again, and has relocated to Manchester to be closer to his physical therapist. He is still coached by his father, Geoff Wightman. “If I have another big injury or setback, I’m not sure I can come back again as it would be my body telling me that ‘this is it. But I believe that if I make these changes now then I can get back to where I need to be.”
Jodie Williams, who won bronze in Paris as part of Britain’s mixed 4×4, has retired.
Doping Bans…
3 years — Taoufik Allam (Morocco, marathon), Faith Chepkoech (Kenya, distance);
2 years — Yimer Bililign (Ethiopia, marathon), Charles Langat (Kenya, distance);
1 year — Mikhail Akimenko (Russia, high jump). □