Athletics: McCartney injury threatens end to season

Eliza McCartney hopes her season isn t ending early. Photo / Getty Images

It's shaping as a jittery next three days for pole vault star Eliza McCartney.

The sight of the Rio Olympic bronze medallist in the stand forlornly looking on at yesterday's Diamond League meeting in Birmingham with an iced left foot hinted at an early end to her most productive international season.

A misjudged second vault, where she plunged straight down to land on both feet on the track, threw a giant question mark over her last three meetings of the season.

The medical prognosis is no break, but there is significant inflammation, officially diagnosed as fat pad bruising, on her heel.

The 21-year-old had been injury-free this year, produced three personal best vaults and taken her national record to 4.94m.

The magic 5m mark is within touching distance, which added to the frustration for McCartney.

Now she and coach Jeremy McColl are sitting tight, awaiting the definitive medical word on whether her year is over or whether she will be back in business within a week. That's expected by Wednesday.

"We've been told three days with nothing weight bearing and plenty of icing," McColl said yesterday. "We'll know more after three days as to how bad it is for the rest of the season."

McColl said McCartney was upset "in general" with how the day panned out.

McCartney has her eye on cracking the 5m barrier, only achieved by two women outdoors: yesterday's winner, American Sandi Morris, and the great Russian Yelena Isinbayeva.

Still remaining on McCartney's calender are a meet at Beckum, Germany, on August 26, the Diamond League final in Zurich four days later and a teams event in Ostrava in the Czech Republic.

Beckum is highly unlikely, but all down to the healing process, but McColl's fingers are crossed that McCartney will have recovered in time for the last two events.

"I couldn't say now, to be honest. We don't know how Eliza will pull up in three days," said McColl. "Everyone heals at different speeds. She's never had this type of injury before, so there's no previous damage. Potentially, it could heal pretty fast. But we're happy with how the scans have come back."

McColl said it had been a difficult day for the vaulters. Morris' winning height was 4.62m, low by the lofty standards of the Rio silver medallist. McCartney's mishap came when she was looking to get into the competition at a gentle 4.20m.

The Commonwealth Games silver medallist had put up PBs of 4.85m at the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon in late May, followed by a 4.92m at Mannheim, Germany, on June 23 and 4.94m at Jockgrim, also in Germany, on July 17.

"This is one of those rare things than can happen in pole vault," McColl said. "She's had such an amazing season to date and we were really looking forward to finishing off the last four meets, put the cherry on the cake."