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U.S. 1,500-meter champion Mary Cain withdraws from world championships

Mary Cain decided to turn pro late last year. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

Seventeen-year-old middle distance runner Mary Cain, the U.S. 1,500-meter champion, will not compete at the IAAF World Indoor Track & Field Championships in Sopot, Poland, because of a lower calf injury, the USATF announced Monday.

“Unfortunately I will not be able to travel to the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Sopot,” Cain said in a statement. “Over the past week, I developed a discomfort in my lower calf. I had an MRI scan on Saturday and it was all clear, but I still feel the pain when I wear spikes and have decided not to risk making it worse in Poland. I hope to be able to run in the World Indoor Championships many times in the future. I wish all my fellow USA athletes the best and hope they bring home lots of medals from Poland.”

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The competition is set to begin on Friday. Heather Kampf of Minneapolis, who placed third at the U.S. meet in Albuquerque, will replace Cain.

Cain set records in six U.S. and junior competitions -- both indoor and outdoor -- at various distances from 800 to 5,000 meters last summer, just after her junior year of high school.

Last year, she became the youngest athlete to represent the U.S. at the world championships.