The women’s pole vault had to be halted for 15 minutes at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Glasgow on Saturday when a French athlete suffered a broken ankle that left her bone “sticking out”.
Margot Chevrier had cleared a height of 4.56m but suffered the horrific injury after falling back into the area where the pole vault is pitched after she had failed over the height of 4.65m.
An awkward landing left her requiring urgent treatment, with her fellow competitors, including Britain’s eventual winner Molly Caudery, left to wait while she was attended to by medics.
The high jump coach Grant Brown said that Chevrier’s “bone was sticking out”.
The 24-year-old French champion was given oxygen before having her leg strapped so that she could be transported from the arena by stretcher.
“Cruel outcome for Margot Chevrier in the pole vault final,” said a statement on social media from the French athletics federation. The statement said that “she fell into the barrier and, conscious, was evacuated from the track on a stretcher”.
It is understood that Chevrier was then taken to hospital for urgent treatment. She received applause as she left the Emirates Arena and appeared to gesture a love heart to spectators.
Caudery, who had been waiting to jump, was informed that there would be a delay and regained her composure to later clear a winning height of 4.80m. It was just short of her world leading clearance of 4.86m but still sufficient to win gold on countback over New Zealand’s Eliza McCartney.
“It was such a tough competition and it was really emotional,” said Caudery. “I hope a lot of the girls get better as there were some injuries and nasty falls. It affected me during the competition because it was so emotional, so I want to send my love to them.”
She added: “I did not keep my cool – I ended up crying to my coach. I really take on the emotions of other people. I tried to take myself away and I just couldn’t. He knows me very well, he was like, ‘Don’t hold it in, let it all out’, so I had a minute to cry, reset and I send my love to all of them.”
Caudery had herself returned to the sport after serious injury in 2021 when she nearly lost a finger during an accident in a gym. She required three surgeries but finished fifth last year in the world outdoor championships and has been the best pole vaulter in the world so far in 2024.
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