Athletics: Eliza McCartney out of Diamond League final

Eliza McCartney.

Pole vault star Eliza McCartney is out of the Diamond League final in Zurich on Friday.

The Olympic bronze medallist damaged her left foot competing in the last leg of the DL in Birmingham on August 19 with a bad landing.

It is slowly recovering, but not fast enough to have her ready for Zurich.

McCartney had already withdrawn from the Beckum meet in Germany which now leaves her with just the Continental Cup teams event in Ostrava in the Czech Republic on September 8.

McCartney, 21, isn't able to fully train yet but the thinking is if she can in the next week she will go to Ostrava.

As the owner of the third highest vault outdoors in history, McCartney wants to compete on the biggest stages but Zurich was simply beyond her -- and there's no point taking risks.

After the Czech Republic, her season is over and she'll head home for several weeks complete break.

''It's the only time in the year you get to have a break,'' she told the Herald this month. ''I really do look forward to it. It's like the cherry on top after the season.''

McCartney has produced three personal best vaults in this, her best season.

She'd been hoping to end on a high. She had three events lined up after Birmingham. Now she's down to one — and that has a question mark beside it.