"I would like to help enlighten those that are calling us 'cowards,' 'shameful,' 'pathetic,' etc.," Moon wrote in a lengthy Instagram post on Friday. "The pole vault is not an endurance event," wrote Moon, a two-time world champion and the Tokyo Olympic gold medallist. Michael Johnson, an eight-times world champion sprinter, was among those who questioned the decision, posting on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter: "Fans, do you like the shared gold concept? The shared gold conjured memories of the men's high jump at the Tokyo Olympics, where Mutaz Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi shared gold. "But in this instance, it was without a doubt the right decision, and one that I will never regret.

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Persons: Australia's Nina Kennedy, Katie Moon, Finland's Wilma Murto, Alina Smutko, Nina Kennedy, Kennedy, we've, Michael Johnson, Mutaz, Gianmarco Tamberi, Lori Ewing, Toby Davis Organizations: Rights, Tokyo Olympic, Tokyo, Thomson Locations: Budapest, Hungary, U.S, Australia