Athletics: Eliza McCartney battling injury as vaulter's form slumps

Pole vaulter Eliza McCartney. Photo / Michael Craig

Pole vaulter Eliza McCartney is battling with an Achilles injury and is to have a scan later today.

The Olympic bronze medallist in Rio, McCartney struggled with the injury during at the Stockholm Diamond League early yesterday.

The North Shore vaulter was among the favourites in the field of nine, but after clearing a low 4.20m she missed all three attempts at 4.40m. Switzerland's Nichole Buchler won with a vault of 4.65m.

McCartney, whose personal best of 4.82m was set in Auckland earlier this year, previously had a poor day out in tricky, swirling conditions in Oslo on Friday, failing with all three attempts at 4.55.

However, her coach Jeremy McColl said the warm-ups had gone well and she was feeling good.

In her opening leg of the Diamond League in Rome on June 8, McCartney finished third with a jump of 4.75m.

The injury is understood to be a niggle, rather than a tear. She is to have an MRI scan in Cologne, Germany, 35km from the base she and McColl have at Leverkusen.

McCartney, 20, has the world championships in London starting on August 5 as her priority this year.

There is no women's pole vault at the next two Diamond League meets, in Paris on July 1 and Lausanne five days later, but it is on the programme for the London event on July 9.

McCartney is due to line up there in what would be the final opportunity for the best leapers to compete in a high-class field before the world champs, although there are other lower-key competitions which would provide possible warm-up meets.