Brad Walker has withdrawn from the pole vault at world championships...

BERLIN, Germany--Pole vaulter Brad Walker's title defense is over before it begins.

Walker, the world champion from Osaka two years ago, has withdrawn from the pole vault qualifying competition Thursday that starts at 10:15 am local time, according to the IAAF.

The CIS (commentator information system) monitors available to reporters sitting in press row confirms this fact.

Here is the text of the USA Track & Field release:

"Defending world champion Brad Walker on Thursday morning withdrew from men's pole vault competition due to injuries sustained July 28 at the Herculis meet in Monaco. While competing in Monaco, Walker landed partly off the mat on one of his attempts, causing his hips to hit the ground. The result was trauma to his public symphis joint.

According to Walker's agent, Peter Stubbs, "Every time he runs, it causes movement of the joint and extreme pain. To avoid a potentially career-ending injury, Brad has made the very difficult decision to withdraw."

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