CORNWALL’S Molly Caudery has been ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing emergency spinal surgery, dealing a major blow to her hopes of competing at this summer's Commonwealth Games and European Championships.

The 26-year-old pole vaulter, who is Britain’s record holder and reigning world indoor champion, revealed she required urgent surgery after suffering a back flare-up that rapidly worsened last week.

The operation, known as a microdiscectomy, involved removing part of a spinal disc to prevent further damage.

The setback comes just days after the Truro-born athlete produced one of the best performances of her season, winning the Diamond League meeting in Rome with a clearance of 4.80 metres.

However, despite appearing to be building momentum towards a successful summer, the Cornish athlete has now been forced to end her campaign.

Announcing the news on social media, Caudery said she was “absolutely heartbroken” to miss the major championships ahead.

“And just like that, my season is over,” she wrote. “Absolutely heartbroken to even be writing this, missing out on yet another major champs and home games. Emergency spinal surgery wasn't on my 2026 bingo card.”

Caudery explained that her condition deteriorated quickly, leaving doctors with little option but to operate.

“I had a back flare-up last week that got worse quickly and immediate surgical intervention was needed to prevent any further damage,” she said. “The surgery was a success and my road to recovery starts today.”

The injury means Caudery will miss the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the European Championships in Birmingham, where she had been expected to challenge for medals.

It is the latest setback for Caudery, who won Commonwealth silver in 2022 and European bronze in 2024. She also missed the World Championships last year after injuring an ankle in the warm-up, and suffered disappointment at the Paris Olympics when she failed to clear her opening height.