Double Olympic sprint champion Elaine Thompson-Herah will not defend her 100 and 200 metres titles at the Paris Games after withdrawing from the Jamaican trials due to an Achilles tendon injury.
Thompson-Herah is one of the greatest sprinters of all time and was the first woman to win a back-to-back Olympic sprint double when she retained both titles in Tokyo three years ago.
She last competed in the 200m in April 2023 and sustained the injury during the 100m at the New York Grand Prix earlier this month as she finished in a time of 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," Thompson-Herah wrote in an Instagram post.
"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 [a] medical check-up, and to find out that I have a small tear on 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 dogged by an Achilles tendon injury after her astonishing sprint double at the 2016 Rio Olympics and she missed out on medals at the 2017 and 2019 world championships.
The three-times Diamond League winner stormed back to win the 100m and 200m at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, while also claiming a 4x100m relay gold to take her tally to five.
Thompson-Herah, who turns 32 on June 28, had already decided not to defend her Olympic 200m title, having missed the deadline to compete at the Jamaican Athletics Championships from June 27-30.
The track and field program in Paris takes place from August 1 to 11 at Stade de France.
Reuters