|
 The 2009 and 2011 gold medalist injured his left lower back on his
final attempt in the long jump, the second event of the two-day
competition. He made two attempts in the shot put but withdrew after
throwing a subpar 10.20 meters.
"I'm devastated to have to withdraw," Hardee said in a statement. "I
tried everything to try to make it through but it just wasn't meant
to be."
Hardee had entered the competition with the year's top score, 8,725
points, and had been tabbed for a silver medal behind team mate
Ashton Eaton, the world record holder.
A hamstring cramp in the high jump had ended his 2013 worlds, the
first time since 2008 he had not won a medal at a major
championship.
"I need to focus now on getting prepared for 2016 and what will be
my final Olympic campaign," Hardee said.
[to top of second column] |
After a slow start, the United States had three gold medals through
Thursday, half as many as Kenya, but led the Africans in total
medals by one with 12.
(Reporting by Gene Cherry, editing by Nick Mulvenney)
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