TOKYO -- Australia is sending arguably its most impressive track and field team to this year's World Athletics Championships, but there are still three massive names who won't be competing in Japan's capital: reigning Olympic pole vault champion Nina Kennedy, emerging sprint star Lachlan Kennedy, and No. 3-ranked race walker Jemima Montag.
The talented Australian trio suffered untimely injuries that have forced them all to withdraw from the meet in Tokyo, a devastating blow for the nation.
Why is Nina Kennedy not competing at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo?
Kennedy sadly won't be defending the world championship pole vault crown she jointly won with American Katie Moon in Budapest two years ago, after withdrawing from the meet just a week out from competition.
Since famously winning Olympic gold last summer in Paris, the 28-year-old West Australian has been plagued by injury and has not been able to compete at any point throughout the 2025 season.
Kennedy suffered three left hamstring tears in the space of six weeks at the beginning of the year and ultimately opted for surgery to repair the troublesome muscle. Her rehabilitation lasted five months, almost double the initial timeline, but there was still optimism she would be able to suit up for these championships in Tokyo.
However, during one of her final training sessions at the beginning of September, Kennedy suffered yet another leg strain, this one forcing her to heartbreakingly withdraw at the eleventh hour.
"Even though I'm disappointed, I'm proud of myself for trying to get back and put myself in the best position to jump high at worlds," Kennedy posted to Instagram. "I can genuinely say I did everything I could. I gave it a red-hot crack and that in itself is a measure of success. Sport can be brutal, but injuries are just part of the journey."
The good news for Kennedy is that this latest leg strain isn't the same as her prior hamstring troubles and there's hope she will be back competing before the year is out.
Why is Lachlan Kennedy not competing at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo?
While Australian sports media has been -- rightly -- fawning over Gout Gout, Kennedy has been busy building an impressive sprint resume of his own.
The 21-year-old from Queensland was enjoying a breakout season on the circuit, beginning the year by setting a new Australian and Oceania record in the 60m with a run of 6.43s (+1.6), before winning silver in the event at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing.
Kennedy also took out the 200m race at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne, beating Gout with a personal best 20.26s effort. He then ran a new personal best 9.98s to win the 100m at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, making him just the second Australian, after Patrick Johnson, to legally break the 10-second barrier in athletics' blue-riband event.
Since then, Kennedy has battled a stress fracture in his back for three months, an injury that has ultimately forced him to sit out these world championships.
"He has been dealing with it since June and it has not healed," said Kennedy's manager, Nic Bideau. "It's lingering and, unfortunately, he just can't train. He has the potential to be a contender in the coming years so, while it's tough, [and] no one wants to miss a world championships, he is 21 and you can't jeopardise the future."
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Australia's fastest man was aiming to contest the 100m and play his role in Australia's talented 4x100m relay squad. Kennedy has since been replaced in Australia's squad by sprint veteran Rohan Browning, who, along with Joshua Azzopardi, will race the 100m.
Why is Jemima Montag not competing at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo?
Montag will also be absent from this week's world championships after making the tough decision to undergo surgery on a troublesome hamstring.
The 27-year-old Melburnian suffered a recurrence of a distal hamstring strain at an altitude camp in St Moritz last month, what was the final stint of her world championship preparation. The injury was unlikely to heal in time for the meet in Tokyo, so Montag instead opted to surgically repair the muscle in a bid to be fully fit for major competition in 2026.
It's a bitter blow for Montag, who won silver at the 2023 world championships in Budapest and bronze in both the 20km race walk and mixed marathon relay -- with Rhydian Crowley -- at last year's Paris Olympics. Montag had also taken out the 20km title at the Chinese Race Walking Grand Prix earlier this year.
Before suffering her latest injury, Montag, the world's third-ranked race walker over the 20km distance, had been considered a legitimate gold medal chance a the world championships.
Australia will be represented by Rebecca Henderson, Elizabeth McMillen, and Alexandra Griffin in the 20km race walk this week, while Henderson, Olivia Sandery, and Allanah Pitcher will contest the 35km distance on opening day.