Thigh problem forces Duplantis out of Diamond League final: “It’s awful”

Armand Duplantis pulled out of the Diamond League final in Brussels just minutes before the start after feeling a problem in his left thigh.

“It’s awful,” Duplantis told SVT. The world-record holder said he had promised himself he would not compete if the thigh still felt tight during the warm-up. It did.

“

It’s awful.

The problem is the same one that forced him to withdraw from the Diamond League meeting in London in July. Duplantis also felt the muscle tighten during last week’s meeting in Zurich, where he won with a clearance of 6.25 metres after Emmanouil Karalis pushed him to very high heights.

“I didn’t want to stop, but it didn’t feel very good afterward,” Duplantis said. He added that the prospect of missing competition was difficult because he does not like feeling less than fully fit.

“

It’s tight and I told myself not to jump if it felt tight during the warm-up. And it did.

He said he would have competed in Brussels if it had been the final event of the season. Instead, the Ultimate Championship in Budapest awaits in a week. “I really want to compete in Budapest, but if I had jumped here, the chance of competing in Budapest would have been zero percent. I’m keeping my fingers crossed and I’m hopeful,” he said.

Because of the withdrawal, Duplantis cannot win a sixth consecutive Diamond League title. The final winner takes the season title.

“

I really want to compete in Budapest, but if I had jumped here, the chance of competing in Budapest would have been zero percent. I’m keeping my fingers crossed and I’m hopeful.