Elaine Thompson-Herah, the celebrated Jamaican sprinter and two-time Olympic champion in the 100m and 200m, has been ruled out of the upcoming Paris Olympics due to an Achilles injury.
The 31-year-old, who has claimed five Olympic gold medals, sustained the injury during the New York City Grand Prix on June 9, where she had to be carried off the track.
Thompson-Herah, renowned for her remarkable achievements in sprinting alongside compatriot Usain Bolt, was aiming to defend her 100m title in Paris. She had opted not to compete in the Jamaica 200m trials, focusing her efforts on the 100m event.
Unfortunately, a “small tear on my Achilles tendon” dashed her hopes of participating in what would have been her third Olympics.
Expressing her disappointment, Thompson-Herah took to Instagram to share her thoughts on the injury.
“It’s a long road but I am willing to start over and keep working and to make a full recovery and resume my track career,” she wrote. “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.”
Jamaica has a storied history in the women’s 100m, with athletes from the nation winning the past four Olympic gold medals in the event.
Thompson-Herah contributed significantly to this legacy by securing gold in both the 100m and 200m at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and successfully defending her titles in Tokyo five years later. Additionally, she earned her fifth Olympic gold in Japan as a member of Jamaica’s 4x100m relay team.