THE LATEST in the aches, pains & eligibility departments:
Hurdler Jasmine Camacho-Quinn withdrew from Zürich because of illness.
Shuho Dairokuno (2:07:21 PR), has pulled out of from Japan’s Olympic marathon trials because of tibial periostitis in his left leg.
Steeplechaser Leah Falland had a baby boy in early May, and is planning her first marathon for this fall (“not ready— but we’re going to do our best OKAY”).
Swiss high jumper Loïc Gasch, silver medalist at the ’22 World Indoor, retired at age 29.
Elliot Giles tore a calf muscle after the London DL, but was still able to compete in the Budapest 1500.
Texas Tech/Bahamas sprinter Terrence Jones has gone pro, signing with adidas.
German vaulter Bo Kanda Lita Baehre crashed at Monaco and tore his meniscus, resulting in surgery.
Dominic Lobalu, who has run 7:29.48 and 12:52.15, will be eligible to represent Switzerland starting April 6, 2026.
Thierry Ndikumwenayo, the Burundian who ran 7:25.93 and 12:59.39, is now eligible to represent Spain.
Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili has left LSU and gone pro.
German discus thrower Henning Prüfer, a former World Junior runner-up, has retired at 27.
Swedish long jumper Khaddi Sagnia opted to end her season after not making the final in Budapest: “to put all of my focus on some rest for body and mind and then back to the grind.”
Missing the season because of pregnancy, Polish heptathlete Adrianna Sułek-Schubert is also sporting a new hyphenated name.
Budapest No-Shows…
West Texas A&M’s Ghanaian sprint star Benjamin Azamati missed the meet with a serious groin strain.
Irish 400 hurdler Thomas Barr had to withdraw after a training injury.
World XC champ Brenda Chebet was removed from the Kenyan team prior to Budapest without explanation. A team rep said an explanation would come “in due course.”
Hammer thrower Yasmani Fernández, a last-minute addition to the Cuban team, reportedly defected at the squad’s layover in Paris.
Jacob Kiplimo withdrew from the Ugandan team after straining his right hamstring during an early-August speed session.
The foot injury that kept Konstanze Klosterhalfen out of the German Championships did not resolve in time for Worlds.
Renaud Lavillenie had his season ended before Budapest, with a partial hamstring tear requiring surgery.
Eilish McColgan initially pulled out with a knee problem, but had surgery on her spine. “Ended up having a small procedure to seal a fluid leak in my spine and have been gradually feeling better every day since… I don’t know what the next few weeks will look like, but I’ll be taking my time.”
No-show Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone explained, “After consulting with my doctors and coaches, I need to take care of a minor knee issue so that I can be fully healthy for next years’ Paris Olympics.”
Former 400 world champ Salwa Eid Naser dropped out with an unspecified injury.
Michael Norman, the 400 defender who spent his season trying to compete at 100, withdrew, saying, “After an extremely frustrating season I’ve decided to step away from track for the remainder of the 2023 season in order to refocus for the 2024 Paris Olympics.”
NCAA 200 champ Udodi Onwuzurike announced that he had not recovered from a hamstring injury so didn’t sprint for Nigeria, saying,“My body needs the rest to heal properly and avoid further damage. This decision hasn’t been an easy one.”
Ana Peleteiro, Olympic bronze medalist in the triple jump, qualified based on WA’s world rankings, but was not selected for the Spanish team because she had not hit 46-9 (14.25) this season. She took the rest of the season off, saying, “I’m officially on vacation.”
Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo missed the triple jump because of a recurrence of lower back pain.
Muzala Samukonga, Zambia’s 43.91 sprinter, did not recover from his injury in mid-July at Chorzów.
Dutch hurdler Nick Smidt, who improved to 48.36 this season, was out with a not-defined injury.
An Achilles injury kept favored Nafi Thiam out of the heptathlon.
Chicken pox kept German 1500 champion Katharina Trost from competing.
Italian high jumper Elena Vallortigara missed things with Achilles tendinitis.
Injured In Budapest…
British vaulter Holly Bradshaw struggled in qualifying after being hit by intestinal distress: “It was very brutal and I was being sick for about 10 hours and it was very aggressive. I never got my strength back from it.”
Injury in the heats forced Latvia’s Agate Caune to withdraw from the 5000 final. She subsequently pulled out of the World Road Champs.
Cravont Charleston reportedly strained a muscle at pre-Budapest relay camp, but his agent said an MRI showed no muscular damage. The USATF 100 winner didn’t advance out of the WC heats.
Oscar Chelimo of Uganda quit the finals of the 5000 with an apparent hamstring injury.
In winning the 10,000 Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei reinjured his foot and had to withdraw from the 5000.
Timothy Cheruiyot, the ’19 world champ at 1500, announced that he was taking a 2–3 week break after knee problems kept him from the Budapest final.
Ryan Crouser was troubled by blood clots in his lower leg during the World Champs competition.
West Texas frosh James Dadzie lined up for Ghana in the 200 heats, but went down with a hamstring pull.
Bryce Deadmon tweaked his hamstring in practice, leading to his failure to qualify out of the 400 heats.
A heel injury kept Tori Franklin from competing in the triple jump final. “My heel was hurting for a couple of days, and I did what I could to try to heal before the final. But during warmups, it flared up, and I could barely walk on it,” she said. “The good news is, it’s manageable… and I’ll be OK.”
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce reportedly strained a muscle in running her backstretch leg on the Jamaican 4×1.
From favorite to fallen: Steven Gardiner was unable to finish his 400 semi. He explained, “I suffered a grade 1 sprain of the tendon extending into the knee of the right posterior thigh. Unfortunately, this will be season-ending. But I’ll be OK.”
Teen TJ sensation Jaydon Hibbert suffered a hamstring injury after leading all jumpers in qualifying. Said coach Travis Geopfert, “Tonight ended with a mild grade 1 hamstring strain on his first attempt. He tried incredibly hard to keep jumping but tonight it wasn’t meant to be.”
Jamaican sprinter Andrew Hudson, injured in the infamous buggy crash on the way to the Budapest stadium, headed home after the meet to see a specialist to determine if his cornea was scratched by broken glass. “I’m happy to have my eyesight. It’s getting better.”
Silver medalist in the 20K walk, Sweden’s Perseus Karlström will miss 3-6 weeks of training because of a “serious tear or strain” in his leg.
A sore foot caused European champion Niklas Kaul to drop out of the decathlon.
WR holder Kevin Mayer left the decathlon after two events due to Achilles pain.
Vaulter Katerína Stefanídi, injured in the Budapest qualifying, has ended her season. An MRI found a grade 1 or 2 sprain.
Britton Wilson had her 400 bid at the Worlds ended with her persistent shin injury flaring up. “I felt pain from my first step out the blocks and it got worse as the race went on,” she said. “I almost didn’t finish running.”
French hurdler Sasha Zhoya has been dealing with pain in his left Achilles.
Doping Suspensions & Bans…
Teen sprinter Issam Asinga has been provisionally suspended after both his A and B samples tested positive for GW1516 prior to Worlds (see “Last Lap”).
Kenyan marathoner Agnes Barsosio has been provisionally suspended in a biological passport case.
Rio Olympic vault champion Thiago Braz has been provisionally suspended by the AIU after a positive test for Ostarine.
Uganda’s breakthrough middle distance runner Janet Chemusto has been provisionally suspended by the AIU after reportedly testing positive for Norandrosterone.
Fiordaliza Cofil, who won World gold last year on the Dominican Republic mixed relay, is provisionally suspended after reportedly testing for excess testosterone.
Charles Kamau, 4th in the Osaka marathon, has been provisionally suspended for testosterone.
Kenyan marathoner Michael Kunyuga (2:06:43 PR) now has a provisional suspension for tampering on top of one for Norandrosterone from last year.
Rogers Kwemoi, 4th in the ’19 Worlds 10K, has been provisionally suspended following a biological passport finding.
Doping bans:
6 years — Carina Horn (South Africa, sprints);
3 years — Ebesie Ayele (Ethiopia, distance), Ana José Tima (Dominican Republic, triple jump);
16 months — Gwen Berry (United States, hammer);
4 months — Allie Ostrander (United States, steeplechase). □