American pole vaulter and reigning world champion Sam Kendricks will miss the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for COVID-19, officials confirmed Thursday. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said in a statement that Kendricks, 28, had been transferred to a hotel to be placed in isolation and was receiving support from both the USOPC and USA Track & Field. "Sam is an incredible and accomplished member of Team USA and his presence will be missed," the USOPC said. "Out of respect for his privacy, we cannot provide more information at this time."
Kendricks' father and longtime coach, Scott Kendricks, wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post that his son "feels fine and has no symptoms." Track and field competition is slated to begin Friday at Tokyo's Olympic Stadium. The news of Kendricks' positive test led to a fleeting moment of panic for the Australian track and field team, where three team members reported having contact with Kendricks after seeing the news of his positive test. The Australian Olympic Committee said in a statement that it asked 54 members of its track and field delegation, including 41 athletes, to isolate in their room for a little more than two hours Thursday while the three individuals received PCR tests. All three tests came back negative.
The 54 people were then cleared to resume normal activities, according to the Australian Olympic Committee, while the three unnamed individuals will continue to isolate and take daily tests in concert with Tokyo 2020 organizers' guidelines for close contacts. All of the athletes are set to compete as expected, the AOC said. Ian Chesterman, the leader of Australia's Olympic delegation, said officials acted out of "abundant caution" in an effort to keep athletes safe. "We want every Australian athlete to be in a position to have their Olympic moment. We will continue to be vigilant," Chesterman said in a statement.
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