Jul 29, 2021 - Sports

U.S. pole vaulter out of Olympics after positive coronavirus test

Erin Doherty

Sam Kendricks competes in the Men's Pole Vault Final during day four of the 2020 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials at Hayward Field on June 21, 2021 — Sam Kendricks competes in the men's pole vault final at the 2020 U.S. Olympic track & field team trials at Hayward Field on June 21, 2021. Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images

U.S. pole vaulter Sam Kendricks, reigning world champion and Olympic bronze medalist, tested positive for coronavirus and will withdraw from the Games, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said in a statement Thursday.

Driving the news: "In alignment with local rules and protocols, he has been transferred to a hotel to be placed in isolation and is being supported by the USATF and USOPC staff," the U.S. Olympic committee wrote.

Kendricks’s father and coach, Scott Kendricks, wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post that Kendricks “feels fine and has no symptoms," The Washington Post reports.
Kendricks' close contacts have been notified, according a statement from USA Track & Field.
Australian track and field athletes isolated in their rooms as a precaution after a “brief casual contact with a U.S. track and field athlete,” but the quarantine was lifted after about two hours, when athletes received negative COVID-19 test results, per the Post.
Kendricks' agent, Paul Doyle, declined to comment on Kendricks' vaccination status, per the Post.

The big picture: Kendricks, who is also a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve, set the American pole vault record of 6.06 meters at the U.S. outdoor championships in 2019.

The total number of Olympic-related officials who have tested positive has reached 193, including 20 athletes, per NPR.

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U.S. pole vaulter out of Olympics after positive coronavirus test

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