Athletics | Armand Duplantis withdraws from Diamond League final at the last moment

Armand Duplantis pulled out of the Diamond League final in Brussels at the last moment, ending his hopes of winning the competition’s overall title this season.

Swedish broadcaster SVT reported that the withdrawal stemmed from concerns about a groin injury. Duplantis said he had been racing against time to recover, but could not get ready in time.

“These decisions are always extremely difficult to make. This has been a race against the clock. I think I worked hard to be ready to compete, but there simply was not enough time,” Duplantis said in Brussels.

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These decisions are always extremely difficult to make. This has been a race against the clock. I think I worked hard to be ready to compete, but there simply was not enough time.

Emmanouil Karalis of Greece won the pole vault final with a competition-record clearance of 6.12 meters. He improved the record previously held by Duplantis by one centimeter. Duplantis’ most recent competition came on Aug. 23, when he won the Diamond League meet in Poland.

The Swedish star is next scheduled to compete at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest from Sept. 11 to 13. He had hoped to recover in time, but his mood was low after withdrawing. “I’m completely messed up. I’m trying to stay relaxed, but it feels like crap. That’s it,” he said. Duplantis won European pole vault gold in August.

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I’m completely messed up. I’m trying to stay relaxed, but it feels like crap. That’s it.