« I’m hurt and devastated to miss the Olympics this year, but at the end of the day it’s about sport and my health comes first “wrote Thompson-Herah, 31, in a statement posted on social media. The sprint star had already given up on participating in the half-lap in Paris, and had initially only registered for the 100m for the Olympic selections scheduled for June 27 to 30 in Kingston.
“I couldn’t put any pressure on my leg”
During her last race at the beginning of the month, in New York, Elaine Thompson-Herah finished last in the 100m, in 11”48, far from her performance and the winner, the Nigerian Favor Ofili (11”18) . She had to be carried off the track and returned to the locker room in the arms of two other people, grimacing, without making a statement.
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She said on Wednesday, June 26, that she immediately realized the seriousness of her injury. I sat on the ground because I couldn’t put any pressure on my leg while I was being carried off the track ” she wrote. A medical examination later revealed a ” small tear » of the Achilles tendon, according to her.
« I returned home with the firm intention of continuing to push and prepare for the national trials, in order to have another chance to participate in my third Olympic Games, but my leg did not allow me to do so. “, she regretted. Despite this mishap, she affirmed that she would continue her career as a sprinter. “ It’s a long road, but I’m ready to start again, keep working, make a full recovery and resume my track career ” she wrote.
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Elaine Thompson-Herah never won individual sprint gold at the world athletics championships, but she dazzled in the Olympic arena. His 100m personal best of 10.54 seconds – set in Eugene, Oregon in August 2021 – is the second-fastest time in history, just behind the world record of 10.49 seconds set by Florence Griffith-Joyner in 1988.
