Overview
- Blech was injured at a pole‑vault meeting in Bad Bergzabern when he landed beside the protective mat from about 5.5 metres during an attempt at a 5.45 m entry height on Thursday and had to abandon the competition.
- The 31‑year‑old posted a video of the fall on Instagram and told the Siegener Zeitung he struck the asphalt with his lower leg while his torso reached the mat, and that his head was unharmed.
- He wrote that his left knee is “very strongly injured,” announced the end of his 2026 season, and said a precise medical diagnosis will be shared in the coming days.
- Blech will miss major near‑term targets, including the European Championships in Birmingham and the upcoming indoor season, and has received public support from fellow athletes.
- The meeting was staged on a temporary city‑square facility in Bad Bergzabern, and final prognosis and recovery plans will depend on the medical findings that Blech said he will publish next week.