Derek Miles: Pole vaulter reaches low point

[jp1667]

"Pole vaulter reaches low point: A mysterious injury to his shoulder puts Derek Miles out of action indefinitely." Sacramento Bee, Published 2:15 am PDT Friday, July 1, 2005

http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/st ... 3602c.html

Derek Miles wanted a chance to compete in the upcoming IAAF World Championships. But sometimes injuries pay a visit at the worst of times.
The Bella Vista High School graduate enjoyed a banner 2004 season, finishing third in the pole vault in the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials at Hornet Stadium and seventh in the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

And 2005 had been rolling along fairly well, too, with the 32-year-old clearing a personal-best 19 feet, 2 1/4 inches indoors in February and jumping an outdoor season-best 19- 1/4 in the Prefontaine Classic on June 4.

But two days later, Miles said his left shoulder "just went dead." He couldn't raise his arm above his head, although he said he felt no pain.
The injury lingered, causing Miles to miss last week's USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Carson. Now, Miles would love to diagnose his problem.

He figured he aggravated a bad neck kink suffered earlier this season. But despite plenty of tests, he said doctors haven't been able to pinpoint the problem.

"It's just real mysterious," he said. "Right before the U.S. Championships, I couldn't even hold a bottle of water out in front of me. "Nothing seemed to yield any result. There's definitely a nerve issue in there."

Miles said his shoulder is improving, although he's not sure when he'll start vaulting again. In the meantime, he waits for a diagnosis. "Most of the time, if it's a pinched nerve, it's followed by numbness," he said. "I think that's why it's so hard to diagnose. I don't have any of those types of symptoms. ... There's no pain and no place to show anybody where it hurts.

"I've had speculation from early signs of MS (multiple sclerosis) to maybe one of my legs is longer than the other. Everything under the sun." While Miles hopes for recovery, U.S. vaulters Brad Walker, Nick Hysong and Toby Stevenson are headed for the World Championships in Helsinki, Finland, from Aug. 6-14.

"I really would have liked a shot to make that team," Miles said. With Miles out of the picture, Stacy Dragila, 34, is the only Sacramento-area product certain to compete in Helsinki.

The Auburn native, who had been sidelined by a slight tear of her right Achilles' tendon in April, won the U.S. women's pole vault title at 14-7 1/4.
She hopes to be back in peak form - she jumped a U.S. record 15-10 last June - to challenge the likes of Russia's Yelena Isinbayeva, who set the world record of 16-1 3/4 in March 2004 and established the world indoor mark of 16-0 3/4 last March. "I think my chances are great," said Dragila, who has competed in just three outdoor meets this season. "(Isinbayeva) is jumping awesome."

[Scott Go Pre]

Man, that sucks big time for derek, he was doing quite well this year.