Paris 2024: ‘Hurt and devastated’ - Achilles injury rules Olympic sprint champion Elaine Thompson-Herah out of Games
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Updated 27/06/2024 at 07:34 GMT
Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah has vowed to return after an Achilles injury ruled her out of competing at the Paris Olympics. The 31-year-old - who celebrates her 32nd birthday on Friday - had already opted out of competing in the 200m at the Jamaican trials, ending her chances of achieving a historic ‘triple double’ of three consecutive Olympic victories in the 100m and 200m.
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Paris 2024 will be missing its reigning Olympic sprint champion after Elaine Thompson-Herah ended her qualification effort because of an Achilles tear.
A day before her 32nd birthday, Thompson-Herah posted on social media that she feels “hurt and devastated” to pull out of the Jamaican trials but vowed to resume her track career, having injured her lower leg during the New York Grand Prix earlier this month.
Thompson-Herah had already decided against competing in the 200m at the trials, but hoped to secure her place in the 100m and the relay squad. That ended her chances of going for a historic ‘triple double’ of 100m and 200m Olympic titles, having become the first woman to win consecutive 100-200m gold medals in Tokyo, backing up her victories at Rio 2016.
She is a modern-day legend of her sport, having achieved the second quickest 100m of all time of 10.54, 0.05 behind the world record set by Florence Griffith-Joyner, while she also has the third fastest 200m time in history.
It has been a tough few years since Tokyo for Thompson-Herah, who missed out on an individual place at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest last year, largely due to another injury-hit season. She returned for the 4x100m relay, but was not selected in the final, as Jamaica won silver behind the USA.
Achilles injuries have had a big impact on Thompson-Herah in the past. After Rio, she struggled to fifth place in the 100m at the 2017 World Championships and fourth in 2019, but said the one-year Covid delay to the Tokyo Olympics helped her get over the problem.
“It’s never fun sharing news like this,” she said on Instagram, revealing she felt “something really wrong” during her race in New York.
“I sat on the ground because I couldn’t apply any pressure to the leg whatsoever as I was carried off the track. I went quickly to get some medical check up and found out that I have a small tear on my Achilles tendon.
“Funny enough, I got back home with a strong mindset to keep pushing and prepare for my national trials [and] another shot of my third Olympics, but the leg wouldn’t allow me to.
“It’s a long road but I am willing to start over and keep working and to make full recovery and resume my track career. I am hurt and devastated to be missing the Olympics this year, but at the end of the day, it’s sports and my health comes first.
“Not the birthday gift I was hoping for, but God, whatever you have in store for me, I will wait and I will still continue to work towards my goals that I haven’t achieved yet. I will be definitely watching - hopefully from the stands - and cheer my country Jamaica on”.
Although missing the reigning champion, the 100m and 200m will still be stacked with contenders to win gold.
Sha’Carri Richardson has the fastest 100m time this year with 10.71 and cruised to victory at the US trials in the past week, while fellow American Mckenzie Long has the quickest 200m with 21.83 - though the 200m has not yet been run at the trials.
Fellow Jamaican Shericka Jackson - the 200m world champion - is looking to peak for Paris, while the likes of Julien Alfred and British pair Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita will also be hoping to push for medals.
The Jamaican and British trials take place over the coming days, with the qualification deadline approaching on Sunday (June 30).
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