Kevin Mayer, decathlon world record holder, to miss 2025 season
'I have regained all the range of motion necessary to compete at a high level,' Mayer said, according to a translation of a France track and field federation press release.
The healing process caused his tendon to swell and fibrosis to develop where the sciatic nerve passes, causing irritation, according to the federation. He can play golf, basketball and beach volleyball, but he cannot fully train for the 10-event decathlon at high intensity.
'I feel it when I'm sitting, but without pain,' Mayer said. 'It's almost a phantom injury, like a grain of sand. You don't always feel it, but it causes problems throughout the left posterior chain.'
Mayer, 33, set the world record decathlon score of 9,126 points in 2018. He also won Olympic silver medals in Rio and Tokyo, plus won world titles in 2017 and 2022.
'I have no doubt that it will heal,' he said. 'It's the biggest injury of my career, but with the passion I have for athletics, it's only a matter of time. I don't know how long it will take, but I've never considered retiring. I have total confidence in what I do. My experience and my self-discipline are my best allies.'
Norwegian Markus Rooth won the 2024 Olympic decathlon with 8,796 points, a national record.
Nick Zaccardi,
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
37 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Katie Ledecky and Summer McIntosh, a year after Paris, set to duel at worlds
One is the most decorated, most celebrated, most everything female swimmer ever to dive into an Olympic-size pool. Her name is known worldwide, and somehow, at 28, Katie Ledecky is showing no signs of slowing down. The other is a full decade younger and somehow making the kind of splash the sport hasn't seen since, well, Ledecky. Canada's Summer McIntosh already has scrawled her name across the record books, and most around the pool deck agree her fastest races are still ahead of her.
NBC News
2 hours ago
- NBC News
What to know about Donald Trump's executive order on NIL and college sports
President Donald Trump on Thursday issued an executive order titled 'SAVING COLLEGE SPORTS,' a directive aimed at regulating the rapidly shifting landscape in college sports. Since 2021, college athletes have been able to profit off their name, image and likeness after a Supreme Court ruling on antitrust laws went in favor of the athletes. In the ensuing years, players have been able to get paid legally via third parties, and after a separate lawsuit was settled in June, athletes can now also be paid directly by their schools. The NIL era, however, has raised a variety of concerns for both schools and athletes, with issues ranging from maintaining equality in women's sports to a potential push for collective bargaining between athletes and their respective colleges. Trump's order, which is not itself a law, essentially calls for an implementation of policies that are widely viewed as NCAA (as opposed to athlete) friendly. Here's what to know. What exactly does Trump's order call for? Trump's order said that, in the wake of legislation that allows athletes to be compensated and transfer freely between schools, 'the future of college sports is under unprecedented threat.' The EO goes on to say that the recent rulings have unleashed 'a sea change that threatens the viability of college sports' and more guardrails are needed to ensure a fairer system. So, what would Trump like to see? The order calls for the following: Prohibiting third parties from engaging in direct 'pay-for-play' payments to athletes, which the order deems improper. Currently, school boosters can sign players to multimillion-dollar NIL deals that are widely viewed as a workaround to directly paying players to attend a certain university. Trump's order says players should only earn 'fair market value' for a legitimate service to a third party, such as a brand endorsement. Advocates for athletes say this would impose a cap on their earnings. Protections on scholarships for nonrevenue sports, requiring schools to maintain or increase scholarships for such sports, depending on the revenue of their athletic departments. This would be a measure largely to protect Olympic sports and women's sports from potential decreases in funding as more money goes to revenue-generating athletes in football and basketball. A clarification from the National Labor Relations Board on the employment status of athletes 'that will maximize the educational benefits and opportunities provided by higher education institutions through athletics.' During the Biden administration, the NLRB issued a memo stating that certain college athletes should be considered employees. That memo was rescinded earlier this year, and now Trump is seeking to codify athletes as non-employees, which would almost certainly take away any opportunity they have to collectively bargain with schools. Protections for the NCAA from lawsuits by athletes. The NCAA has been lobbying for these protections for many years, as many of the big changes in college athletics have come as the result of antitrust lawsuits. Protections against further court cases would allow the NCAA to enforce its rules on issues such as transfers and third-party payments without fear of them being upended by another court ruling. What does this all mean for the immediate future? Nothing immediately. Trump cannot unilaterally impose rules in this scenario. His executive order also comes as the House tries to push through the SCORE Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation that is aligned with much of Trump's executive order. The SCORE Act has moved through committee and can be debated on the House floor when representatives return from recess in September. Meanwhile, there has been a bipartisan push in the Senate to introduce its version of legislation regarding college athletes, with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., among those involved. 'The many challenges facing college sports are important and complex,' Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said in a statement to NBC News. 'The Executive Order recognizes the importance of preserving Olympic sports, women's sports, and maintaining competitiveness for big and small schools alike. I'm disappointed that the President abandoned his earlier plan for a commission to examine all the issues facing college sports. We need a sustainable future for college sports, not a future dominated by the biggest and wealthiest schools who can write their own rules without accountability.'
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Boston Celtics alum Sam Vincent named Libyan National Team coach for 2025 FIBA AfroBasket
Former Boston Celtics point guard Sam Vincent has been named the head coach of the Libyan National Team for the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket, per a release from FIBA. The event, the 24th edition of the FIBA Africa Championship, will take place from this August 12 to August 26 this summer, is the men's continental basketball championship series played by all of the senior national teams of Africa, and is played once every four years. Vincent, drafted by the Celtics out of Michigan State with the 20th overall pick of the 1985 NBA Draft, won a title with Boston in 1986 during his two seasons with the Celtics. He would later play for the Seattle SuperSonics, Chicago Bulls, and Orlando Magic before finishing his playing career in Greece. The East Lansing, Michigan native has also had a successful coaching career, working both abroad and in the NBA and collegiate ranks. With Libya, Vincent builds on prior experience coaching on the continent, having previously led the Nigerian Women's National Team to their (and the inaugural African team) to win their first Olympic game in 2004. Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on: Spotify: iTunes: YouTube:
