Former Ole Miss pole vaulter Sam Kendricks will represent the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics after all.

Kendricks claimed his place in Paris by winning the men's pole vault event at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, on Sunday with a height of 19 feet, 5 inches.

Kendricks had originally cast doubt on whether he would compete in the Games, raising the possibility of skipping them in the mixed zone with reporters on Saturday.

“I don’t like the Olympics," he said. "The Olympics screwed me. Everybody at Team USA left me behind. I don’t have any respect for the team. They just left me in Tokyo. If I make the team, I might (not) go.”

Kendricks clarified Sunday that he would accept the invitation.

Kendricks tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving in Japan for the 2021 Olympics and was not allowed to compete. He was unvaccinated. Kendricks also said that he opted for knee surgery before the 2022 World Championships in Eugene because of state and local vaccination requirements prohibiting unvaccinated people from entering Hayward Field. At the time, his agent told Reuters that Kendricks' recovery from surgery had taken longer than expected.

A two-time world champion, Kendricks is a three-time qualifier for the Olympics. He won bronze in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

“Nobody is going to make me not stand on my beliefs,” he said. “Not from where I’m from. I’m from the United States of America. I don’t do anything I don’t want to. I live free.”

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss product Sam Kendricks set for 2024 Paris Olympics