Awaiting the start of the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games, Sam Kendricks had just been at the USA Track and Field team meeting and posed for the team photograph when he received a notification which said his name in English and, alongside it, one word: POSITIVE.
In that moment, everything changed. The reigning world champion and Rio Olympic bronze medallist would play no further part in the Tokyo Olympics. Sam takes us back to that time and shares exactly what happened to him. It is a harrowing account. The experience has left a lasting impression and made him wonder whether he has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. During our discussion, Sam relives the whole ordeal. He offers his thoughts on whether it is ever right, under any circumstances, to detain someone for ten days the way that he was. He felt like a prisoner and no-one was able to free him.
Now, four years on, he’s returning to Tokyo for the World Championships. How will he make peace with the country? How much will the memories of what happened in 2021 cast a shadow over 2025? He says he would rather talk than fight, but he won’t know exactly how he’ll feel until he’s there.
Sam Kendricks is one of the greatest male pole vaulters in history. He began his career when Renaud Lavillenie was breaking the event’s long-standing world record and would go on to enjoy his own period of dominance, winning back-to-back world titles in 2017 and 2019. Now, in the era of Mondo Duplantis, he continues to make the podium at global championships. Sam’s assessment of both men, who he calls the two Princes of the sport, is fascinating, as is how he sees his own role as a part of that triumvirate.
Sam takes us back to how it all started; being coached by his Dad and trying to beat his twin brother at everything. He explains how Stacy Dragila’s stardom in the women’s pole vault directly impacted High School Track and Field, and helped kick-start his own journey through the sport. We also learn why Sam’s decision to pursue a parallel career in the US Army Reserve wasn’t just about continuing his family’s military tradition, it was also borne out of necessity to get himself to college.
Image: Silver medallist Sam Kendricks of Team United States celebrates during the Men's Pole Vault Final on day ten of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 05, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)