Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah withdraws from national trials, will miss Olympics

KINGSTON – Elaine Thompson-Herah, a two-time Olympic 100m and 200m champion, admitted she is “devastated” after confirming that she will not defend her titles at the Paris Games after failing to recover from an Achilles injury.

The sprint star, the first woman to win a back-to-back Olympic sprint double when she won at Rio 2016 and the Covid-delayed 2020 Tokyo Games, announced her decision on June 26 after pulling out of the June 27-30 Jamaican trials.

“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,” Thompson-Herah, who turns 32 on June 28, wrote in a statement shared on social media.

She had already abandoned her bid to defend her 200m crown in Paris after opting not to take part in the event at the trials in Kingston. However, she had entered the 100m at the trials and retained hope of being able to compete in the French capital this summer over the shorter distance.

But it was not to be in the end. Her fitness had been in doubt ever since she competed at a race in New York on June 9, when she needed to be carried from the track after suffering a torn Achilles.

In her statement on June 26, Thompson-Herah said she immediately realised the injury was serious.

“It’s never fun sharing news like this but at the New York Grand Prix, I felt something in the race and still insist to push, couple steps to the line I realise something is really wrong,” she wrote.

“I sat on the ground because I couldn’t apply any pressure to the leg whatsoever as I was carried off the track.”

A medical examination later revealed a “small tear” of the Achilles tendon, she said.

“Funny enough I got back home with a strong mindset to keep pushing and prepare for my national trials (for) another shot at my third Olympics but the leg wouldn’t allow me to,” she added.

The Jamaican insisted, however, that she plans to continue her sprinting career, despite her Olympic heartbreak.

“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,” she said.

Thompson-Herah was also hampered by an Achilles injury after her sprint double at the 2016 Rio Olympics and she missed out on medals at the 2017 and 2019 world championships.

The three-time Diamond League winner then stormed back with her second double at her second Games in Tokyo, also claiming a relay win to take her gold tally to five.

With hopes of a Paris appearance now over, she said she would still be cheering on her compatriots – hopefully on site. The athletics competition at the Paris Olympics takes place from Aug 1 to 11 at the Stade de France. AFP, REUTERS