British pole vault record-holder sustains the injury during warm-up in Tokyo.

British medal hopes at the World Championships suffered a blow early on Monday (Sept 15) in Tokyo when Molly Caudery withdrew from pole vault qualifying.

A statement from UKA read: "Unfortunately Molly Caudery has been forced to withdraw from pole vault qualifying following an ankle injury sustained in warm-up."

The 25-year-old won the world indoor title last year in Glasgow but later was slightly disappointed to win bronze at the European Championships in Rome and then bombed out of the Paris Olympics after inexplicably failing her opening height of 4.55m.

She was keen to make amends in 2025 and was in good form in the run-up to Tokyo, having cleared 4.80m a couple of times in August and with victories this summer including the Diamond League in Doha.

But sadly she was taken out of the arena in Tokyo on a wheelchair as she was consoled by fellow vaulters.

It appeared one of her spikes got caught in the bed as she ran through – a rare accident in pole vaulting.

The Cornish athlete had been planning an extended holiday in Japan after these championships too.