THE LATEST in the aches, pains & eligibility departments:
Plenty of big names will be forced to miss the WC, mostly because of injury.
Men: Bashir Abdi (Belgium, marathon) ankle; Rasheed Broadbell (Jamaica, 110H) hamstring surgery; Lachlan Kennedy (Australia, sprints) stress fracture in back; Wojciech Nowicki (Poland, HT) knee; Markus Rooth (Norway, decathlon) knee & elbow surgery; Massimo Stano (Italy, walks) hamstring.
Women: Rhasidat Adeleke (Ireland, 400) unspecified injuries; Laura García-Caro (Spain, walks) lack of fitness; Jemima Montag (Australia, walks) hamstring surgery; Gabby Thomas (United States, 200) Achilles; Danniel Thomas-Dodd (Jamaica, SP) declined; Anouk Vetter (Netherlands, heptathlon) lack of fitness; Noor Vidts (Belgium, heptathlon) hamstring;
Britany Anderson, who won the ’22 World silver in the 100H, recently gave birth to a son.
Past NCAA 400 champ Emmanuel Bamidele has switched his nationality from Nigeria to United Arab Emirates.
Jasmine Camacho-Quinn says that a foot injury makes her doubtful for the Tokyo hurdles: “With the World Championships just a month away, it’s looking less and less likely that I’ll be at my best by Tokyo. The good news is my foot is getting better and I’m confident I’ll make a full recovery in due time.”
Marathon WR holder Ruth Chepngetich has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for a diuretic in March (see August “Last Lap”).
Explaining her USATF absence, Emma Coburn said, “My hamstring took a few steps backwards a couple weeks ago and I wasn’t able to get the prep needed to be able to race a steeplechase.”
Shot WR holder Ryan Crouser still has not competed in ’25, dealing with an injured elbow. It is still unclear if he will compete in Tokyo.
Hamstring tightness forced sprint star Andre De Grasse to miss the Canadian Championships.
Alice Finot, 4th in the Paris steeple last summer, may not compete in Tokyo because of a calf injury.
Tajay Gayle is recovering from a grade 2 hamstring strain.
Britain’s Phoebe Gill, an Olympic 800 semifinalist last year at 17, missed the entire season with a stress fracture to her fibula.
Long jumper Hayla González, the Cuban champion last year who holds a PR of 22-5¾ (6.85), ditched the national team in Spain in August, apparently seeking asylum.
Reigning world 400 champ Quincy Hall withdrew from the Prefontaine Classic and the USATF Championships with a hamstring injury.
Now 42, marathoner Sara Hall confirms she injured her heel at Boston but is working toward a fall marathon.
Grace Hartman of NC State missed the USATF meet with plantar fasciitis.
Jordan Hasay gave birth to a son in July. She has not raced since ’23.
Medical news from Nikki Hiltz, explaining that a month after the Olympics, “I underwent a surgical procedure to make my chest flatter so that it aligns more with my gender identity.”
Jakob Ingebrigtsen has announced that “normal training has resumed” and several weeks later promised he would be ready for Tokyo. “It may not be entirely optimal to run in the World Championships without any competition in the legs, but that’s how it has to be. I’m going to run. That’s what I live for. To compete. It can’t be that difficult.”
Italy’s Marcell Jacobs canceled his Lausanne and Brussels DL appearances because of an injury incurred in training.
Dani Jones had a tough time advancing to the USATF 1500 final after dealing with food poisoning the day before.
The Prefontaine Classic was harsh on hurdler Tia Jones, who tore an Achilles.
Decathlete Niklas Kaul withdrew from Décastar with back pain.
Fred Kerley (see “Last Lap”) has been provisionally suspended by the AIU for whereabouts failures.
After one year at New Mexico, NCAA 10,000 champion Ishmael Kipkirui has gone pro, signing with Nike. Shortly afterward he was selected as part of Kenya’s Tokyo 10,000 team.
Abel Kirui, the ’12 marathon silver medalist, as well as the ’09 and ’11 world champion, has retired at age 43.
Olympic javelin champion Haruka Kitaguchi missed the Japanese Championships because of a “small injury.”
German steepler Gesa Felicitas Krause missed her national championships after fracturing ribs in a fall at the Oslo DL.
Renelle Lamote, Olympic 800 finalist, missed the French Champs with a hamstring injury.
Prep sensation Cooper Lutkenhaus will bypass the rest of his high school career as well as the NCAA, now that he has signed a pro contract with Nike (see “Last Lap”).
Noah Lyles says he had an unspecified injury mid-season that set him back.
European 1500 champion Ciara Mageean has been diagnosed with an unspecified cancer. “It’s been a lot to take in, but I’ve already started treatment and I’m incredibly grateful to be surrounded by the love and support of my family and close friends,” she says. “Right now, my focus is on healing and taking things one day at a time.”
Kentucky’s Zimbabwean sprinter Carli Makarawu has signed a pro contract with On and will bypass his remaining NCAA eligibility.
Steepler Olivia Markezich dealt with a stress reaction this spring.
Hurdler Cyrena Samba-Mayela was granted a medical exemption from the French nationals, but then posted, “I’ve spent a good part of this year beset by two injuries in a row. I pushed my limits, but despite all my efforts it wasn’t enough to prepare for the World Championships in the best conditions.”
His thigh injury having proven worse than first thought, decathlon WR holder Kevin Mayer has canceled the rest of his ’25 season. “It’s the biggest injury of my career,” he said. “I don’t know how long it will take, but I’ve never considered retiring.” He also recently got married.
Miler Cory McGee says she is expecting a baby boy soon.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone scratched out of the Ed Murphey Classic with a high fever.
Philip Milanov, silver medalist in the discus at the ’15 Worlds, has retired at 34.
Britain’s George Mills, who fell in a last-lap pile-up in the 1500 at the London DL, fractured his wrist, which required surgery.
Whittni Orton Morgan is expecting her first child in December.
Javelin wars: Arshad Nadeem missed summer matchups with Neeraj Chopra as he underwent surgery in London. Said his coach, “He is more focused on preparing for the World Championships in Tokyo in September, which is why he decided to have the surgery on his calf muscle, which had been bothering him for a while now.”
An adductor injury kept vaulter Chris Nilsen out of the USATF meet. He posted, “It’s truly heartbreaking, but nobody can escape the eventual injury bug, nor can we pick the timing of it.”
Michael Norman reportedly had unspecified surgery late last year. He has not competed this season as he continues his recovery.
Tokyo Olympic hammer champion Wojciech Nowicki has ended his season because of a knee injury.
Chioma Okonkwo, who formerly sprinted for USC, has been granted a transfer of allegiance from the United States to Great Britain.
Kenyan sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala skipped the DL Final: “Due to recent hip, iliopsoas and gluteal pain experienced over the past few weeks, I regret to inform you that I will be unable to participate. I am optimistic about my recovery and anticipate being fully fit for Tokyo.”
Allie Ostrander opted to skip the USATF steeple final: “By the time I got to the US final, there was nothing left to scrape. I felt completely empty. I wasn’t nervous, excited, anxious, unsure, or scared, just devoid of emotion… That coupled with some small health concerns was enough to make me certain that racing wasn’t the right choice for my body or mind.”
European triple jump champion Ana Peleteiro-Compaoré had been expecting her second child but has revealed she suffered a miscarriage.
British sprinter Reece Prescod has retired at age 29. He won Euro 100 silver in ’22.
Former Harvard star Maia Ramsden, now representing New Zealand, has undergone surgery to correct a Haglund’s Deformity.
A muscle strain kept Yulimar Rojas from her planned season opener, so now the 4-time world triple jump champ will be opening up in Tokyo.
Abby Steiner has had a third surgery on her left foot. “Taking a step back from running for the time being to give myself the time I need to get healthy while pursuing some other passions of mine.” She is now working on a grad degree in Exercise Science at South Carolina.
Dutch decathlete Rik Taam, 16th in the Olympics last year, has retired.
Olympic HJ gold medalist Gianmarco Tamberi is not sure about Tokyo: “I have to figure out if it makes sense to speed things up to be ready for the World Championships or to take some time to recover for the next three seasons leading to Los Angeles Olympics.”
This year’s fastest man at 9.75, Kishane Thompson bypassed the Lausanne DL with worries over shin pain.
Because of ongoing issues with a foot injury, Parker Valby opted to not compete at USATF.
Wadeline Venlogh (née Jonathas) has transferred allegiance from the United States to Haiti.
A winner of relay gold medals in ’21 and ’22 for her duties in the heats of the 4×4, Kaylin Whitney has retired at 27.
Juliet Whittaker says she took 10 weeks off to prioritize her mental health. Her advancement to the USATF semis came after only 4 weeks of training.
Ajee’ Wilson says she’s been troubled by undiagnosed health issues the last two years, but now she seems to be in the clear after some diet and recovery changes.
Korean high jumper Sang-hyeok Woo hurt his calf at an early August meet but still is planning on Tokyo.
Texas A&M heptathlete Sofia Iakushina, barred from international competition because of her Russian citizenship, is pursuing a switch to represent Türkiye.
Doping Bans…
6 years — Parvej Khan (India, 1500), Ronald Kurgat (Kenya, marathon);
5 years — Sheila Chebet (Kenya, distance), Charles Kipkurui (Kenya, distance);
4 years — Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk (Ukraine, triple jump), Shadrack Biwott (U.S., distance);
3 years — Roncer Konga (Kenya, distance), Samuel Russom (Eritrea, marathon);
2 years — Judy Kemboi (Kenya, distance), Felix Kirui (Kenya, marathon), Morine Michira (Kenya, distance), Nse Uko (Nigeria, 400). □
