Double sprint champion Thompson-Herah to miss Paris Games

• Published On: 27 June 2024 at 20:04

Elaine Thompson-Herah, a double Olympic sprint winner, has withdrawn from the Jamaican trials owing to an Achilles ailment.

With this injury, he will be unable to defend her 100m and 200m crowns in the Paris Games in August.

The Jamaican, who turns 32 on Friday, is one of the best sprinters of all time and was the first woman to win back-to-back Olympic sprint titles in Tokyo in 2022.

Thompson-Herah last competed in the 200m in April 2023, and she sustained the injury while running the 100m at the New York Grand Prix earlier this month, finishing in 11.48 seconds.


"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," the Jamaican driver posted on his Instagram feed.

"I sat on the ground since I couldn't apply any pressure on my leg while being dragged off the course. I hurried swiftly to have a medical check-up, only to discover that I have a tiny tear in my Achilles tendon.

"I got back home with a strong mindset to keep pushing and prepare for my national trials … but the leg wouldn't allow me to."


Thompson-Herah was also sidelined by an Achilles injury following her incredible 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 surged back with her second double in her second Games in Tokyo, adding a relay gold to her total of five.

Thompson-Herah stated that she would be cheering on her colleagues in Paris, hopefully on-site, and that she would not abandon her sprinting career.

"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 posted on Facebook.

"I'm disappointed and devastated to miss the Olympics this year, but at the end of the day, it's sports, and my health comes first. I'll be back.

Thompson-Herah had already decided not to defend her 200m championship after missing the deadline to run in the Jamaican Athletics Championships, which ran from June 27 to June 30.

The athletics competition in the Paris Olympics runs from August 1 to August 11 at the Stade de France.