British pole vault star Molly Caudery ruled out for season due to surgery

UK pole vault record holder Molly Caudery has ended her 2026 season prematurely after undergoing emergency back surgery. The 26-year-old indoor world champion will now miss the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the European Championships in Birmingham.

British pole vault record holder Molly Caudery announced on social media that her 2026 season is over, just days after delivering an impressive performance in Rome when she had to undergo emergency back surgery.

According to Caudery, she developed back problems the previous day that worsened rapidly and required immediate surgical intervention. She underwent a microdiscectomy, a procedure in which part of a damaged intervertebral disc is removed.

"And that's how my season is over. I'm absolutely devastated to be writing this. I'm missing major competitions and home championships again. Emergency back surgery was certainly not in my 2026 plans," Caudery wrote on Instagram.

The injury comes at a particularly painful time: the British star was due to compete in two major home events—the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the European Championships in Birmingham. Both will now be missed.

What makes the situation all the more ironic is that just days before the surgery, Caudery delivered an impressive display, winning the Rome Diamond League stage with a season's best of 4.80.

"The surgery went well and my recovery begins today. I really thought 2026 would be my year after the disappointments in Paris and Tokyo, but apparently I wanted to add another chapter to my autobiography before my comeback," she added.

In recent years, Caudery has been among the world's best pole vaulters. She was crowned indoor world champion in 2024 and set a British record of 4.92. However, competition has brought her a series of setbacks: she failed to clear the opening height at the Paris Olympics and missed the Tokyo World Championships after suffering an ankle injury during warm-up. She won silver at the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and bronze at the 2024 European Championships.