French pole vaulter Margot Chevrier suffered a devastating ankle injury during the women’s pole-vault final at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, an accident that shocked spectators and fellow competitors and temporarily brought the competition to a standstill.
Chevrier was competing at the Commonwealth Arena when she attempted to clear 4.65 metres, having already successfully cleared 4.55 metres. During the attempt, she became caught in the landing area and fell awkwardly, suffering a severe injury to her ankle.
Medical personnel immediately rushed onto the track to assist the French athlete. Chevrier remained in the landing area as she received urgent treatment before eventually being carried from the arena on a stretcher and taken to a Glasgow hospital.
Reports at the time described the injury as an open ankle fracture involving the talus bone, a serious injury that required surgery. Chevrier later provided an update from hospital and indicated that she would undergo an operation before continuing her recovery in France.
The injury was particularly devastating because Chevrier was one of France’s leading pole vaulters and had been targeting a place at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Her hopes of competing on home soil were ultimately ended by the severity of the injury.
The accident also deeply affected the other athletes in the competition. The final was temporarily interrupted while medical teams treated Chevrier, with competitors visibly shaken by what they had witnessed.
British pole vaulter Molly Caudery eventually won the competition after action resumed. Caudery later spoke about the emotional difficulty of returning to competition after seeing Chevrier suffer such a serious injury.
For Chevrier, the Glasgow accident marked the beginning of an arduous rehabilitation journey rather than the end of her athletic career.
She underwent extensive treatment and rehabilitation before making her return to competition in 2025. Her comeback represented a major achievement after months of recovery and uncertainty.
Returning to elite competition required patience, determination and a willingness to rebuild physically and mentally after an injury that had dramatically interrupted her career.
Chevrier continued pursuing her ambitions in athletics, demonstrating that the accident had not taken away her desire to compete.
In January 2026, she announced another significant change in her career, leaving Nice Côte d’Azur Athlétisme after more than 13 years and joining Stade Bordelais.
The move marked another chapter in her continued effort to progress as an athlete and rebuild her career at the highest level.
Chevrier’s experience has consequently become a story of resilience as much as injury. What began with one of the most frightening moments of her career developed into a lengthy journey of surgery, rehabilitation, recovery and eventual return.
Her ordeal also serves as a reminder of the physical risks associated with pole vaulting. The event demands extraordinary speed, strength, coordination and precision, with athletes launching themselves several metres into the air before attempting to land safely on a relatively small area.
Even a momentary loss of control can have serious consequences.
The Glasgow incident remains one of the most memorable moments of the 2024 World Indoor Championships, not because of the eventual competition result, but because of the severity of Chevrier’s injury and the emotional reaction it generated throughout the arena.
Yet for Chevrier, that night became only one chapter in a much larger story.
Her subsequent rehabilitation and return to competition demonstrated her determination to continue pursuing the sport she loves. Rather than allowing the injury to define the remainder of her career, she used the difficult period as part of a long road back.
As of 2026, Chevrier remains active in athletics and continues her career with Stade Bordelais.
The injury in Glasgow was undoubtedly one of the most painful chapters of her sporting life, but her return has transformed the story into one of perseverance, resilience and determination.
