Smith's Wife's Olympic Medal Dreams Dased in Tokyo
Photo curtsey of Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
IslandStats.com
American pole vaulter Sandi Morris’ the wife of Bermuda Olympian Tyrone Smith quest for a second Olympic Medal ended Monday on a rain-soaked runway after her pole broke and her hip flexor hyperextended.
Morris, who was born in Downers Grove, made three more attempts despite the injury, but she barely made it off the ground and ended up writhing on the mat in obvious pain each time. After faltering on her third and final try, a tearful Morris hugged her fellow competitors and walked off the field with a medical team.
“My hip flexor was shooting pain down my leg and clicking, and my quad was cramping in reaction,” Morris wrote on Instagram. “I had no chance to make it down the runway for another jump. But I tried anyway.”
Morris’ injury came after heavy rain temporarily suspended the women’s pole vault event at the Olympic Stadium. When the competition resumed, many athletes struggled with the slick conditions, and officials ended the qualification round early with anyone who cleared 4.55 meters advancing to the final.
The reigning Olympic silver medalist, Morris, 29, easily clears that height when healthy. She was about to make her first attempt when the rain picked up and vaulting was halted.
