The British pole vaulter was aiming for a strong performance in Eugene after winning a bronze in last year’s Olympics, but she had to pull out after suffering a freak injury during practice.
Bradshaw’s pole broke while she was doing a jump during practice, causing her to fall awkwardly into her neck and also hurt her back and arm. With a busy summer ahead of him, the Commonwealth Games and European Championships to follow in a few weeks, the 30-year-old has pulled out to avoid further injuries.
It means she will have to wait for a first World Cup medal, although she hopes to put this adversity behind her soon with such a hectic schedule.
Bradshaw said: “I was absolutely gutted, I was heartbroken, I cried in the box, sobbing. It was a huge, huge shock. I’ve felt really good for the three weeks in this.
“It’s the first time it’s ever happened in my career, so it’s a great time to make it happen. I hope it never happens again.
“It’s just very, very, very unfortunate timing, but I’ve come back from worse. I still have the Commies and the Euros. I’ve had a preliminary medical examination and it’s nothing serious.
“I’m going to get more checks tomorrow and hope it’s nothing bad and I’ll be back for Commies and Euros. It feels out of my control. This year has been challenging and it’s just another thing for me to negotiate the past.
“I couldn’t have known this would happen. It’s such a freak accident. It’s just one of those things that absolutely sucks
“It’s been a mixed season and a lot of things haven’t gone my way, but the last three weeks have been great. I thought I could have done 4.50/60 clean in qualifying today and then compete for medals in the final.
“I am now at that point in my career where if I don’t fight for medals, I can’t put myself in that position and I’m not going to take any chances. That’s the decision I made.”