Australian team briefly isolate as Sam Kendricks out

Members of Australia's athletics team were briefly forced into isolation on Thursday after American pole vaulter Sam Kendricks tested positive for COVID-19.

Australian media reported that Kendricks had been training with Australia's Kurtis Marschall.

As a precaution, some of Australia's track and field athletes isolated in their rooms as they awaited their own test results.

Australia's Olympic Committee released a statement later on Thursday, confirming that the athletes had received the all clear.

Games procedures state that athletes who are contact-traced and have not yet competed are isolated from the rest of the squad.

They then have to be tested six hours prior to their competition and return a negative result in order to compete.

United States Olympic and athletic officials confirmed Kendricks' positive test and said that he had been transferred to a hotel to be placed in isolation.

Kendricks won the world title in 2017 and 2019 and Olympic bronze in Rio 2016.

His battle with world record holder Armand Duplantis of Sweden was expected to have been one of the highlights of the track and field program.

Another pole vaulter, German Chiaraviglio of Argentina was also ruled out after testing positive for COVID-19.