By Paul Eddison at the Stade de France

Nick Percy made sure to enjoy every moment of his Olympic debut at the Stade de France, competing in the men’s discus.

The 29-year-old combines his athletics career with a role as head of sport at a school in the Isle of Wight, an unusual combination.

With a particularly high standard required to make the final of the event, Percy bowed out with a best throw of 61.81m.

To make the top 12, he needed to throw more than 62.88m, and while that is a mark he has previously achieved, the overriding feeling was one of happiness rather than disappointment.

He said: “I am feeling absolute joy. This is my final, being here at this event.

“It’s the Olympic Games and there is a lot of pressure, you only have three attempts, it is not easy. I am really proud. The last few weeks have been a struggle emotionally, mentally.

“I said to my family and coach beforehand, if I walk away with a 62m throw, I have done very well. 61.81m, you are basically there.

“I put way too much on myself but the last few days, the support staff have been amazing, the physios have been great. We found there was an Achilles issue that we had in Manchester (at the British Championships).

“We thought it was just a niggle but there was a bit more to it. With medication, we’ve got it under control and now we’re able to train, see out the season and a good bit of rest will sort me out for next year.”

At 29, Percy is entering the prime of his career in the discus – a discipline in which athletes can often excel well into their 30s.

His age has become something of a point of humour in the Olympic Village, with teammate Alastair Chalmers, who qualified for the semi-finals of the 400m hurdles, taken aback when he found out how old Percy is.

The discus thrower said: “Alastair Chalmers, when we came into the village, asked if I was going to retire. I said I look a bit older with the beard but blimey, do I look that old?! He didn’t realise I was 29. In the world of throwers we can keep going until we’re quite old.”

Asked whether he was now planning to go for LA, Percy answered: “Definitely!”

Elsewhere, world indoor champion Molly Caudery and Tokyo bronze medallist Holly Bradshaw both missed out on the final of the women’s pole vault.

Caudery broke down in tears after seeing her Olympic dreams shattered as she failed to clear a height in qualification.

The 24-year-old was tipped as a gold medal contender after winning the World Indoor Championships earlier this year as well as breaking the British record with a jump of 4.92m, making her the best performer of 2024.

But the Olympic stage is very different to any other event, and Caudery never got to grips with it on her debut.

Electing to start at a height of 4.55m, Caudery failed on all three attempts, missing out on a place in the final, where those who cleared 4.40m went through.

It was a huge disappointment for her personally, and she could not contain the emotions when reflecting on how it had gone wrong.

She said: “I’m currently in a little bit of a shock. I’m so disappointed and I’m so sorry to everyone back at home who has been supporting me.

“I don’t have any excuse, I felt great, I’m in the best shape of my life, I love a big crowd. I didn’t feel overly nervous. I don’t have a reason for what just happened. I believe everything is a lesson and I’ll find out in time. It’s just going to take a little bit of time to process.

“Normally, on my first event, you want to clear it first time, of course. But I’d been waiting around for a little while, needed to get my legs moving and when I went in for my second attempt, in my mind, there was no way I wasn’t going to clear it. When I took that third attempt, I was just in disbelief.”

Caudery was the only athlete to start her competition at 4.55m, with the rest of the field beginning at a lower height.

But she refused to pin the blame for her elimination on the decision not to ease herself into the event.

She added: “4.55 is a bar that I jump day in, day out. There is not one piece of doubt in my mind that I was going to clear it. Some people will say that I came in too high but that is definitely not my coach’s or my opinion. When I’ve been jumping 4.80, 4.90 all year round, 4.55 shouldn’t be a problem. I don’t think I would have cleared it if it was 4.40. It was just a really unfortunate day. I’ll go and talk to my coach to work out what went wrong.

“I don’t think anyone puts more pressure on myself than I do. I went in with a dream, I felt confident, I didn’t feel too much pressure from everyone else. I do enjoy a big crowd, this is my first time in this kind of environment. I don’t think that is what went wrong. I don’t know what happened, but it just wasn’t my day.”

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