British Olympic athlete ‘absolutely heartbroken’ as emergency surgery brings season to abrupt end
Caudery will miss the rest of the 2026 season (Getty)
World indoor pole vault champion Molly Caudery has undergone emergency spinal surgery, bringing an abrupt end to her current season.
The 26-year-old British record holder required a microdisectomy, an operation to remove part of a spinal disc, following a sudden “flare-up” of back pain last week.
This surgery means Caudery will miss significant events, including the home Commonwealth Games and European Championships in 2026, and her goal of breaking her own British record of 4.92m this season.
Caudery expressed her sadness on social media as she stated she is “absolutely heartbroken”, while highlighting this as another setback after previous disappointments at the Paris Olympics and Tokyo World Championships.
Despite a history of injuries and setbacks, Caudery had a strong start to the season, reclaiming her world indoor title and winning the Diamond League meeting in Rome last week with a season’s best height of 4.80m.
