What happened to Aleia Hobbs? All about the American's withdrawal at World Athletics Indoor Championships moments before 60m final at the start line

Aleia Hobbs pulled out of the 60m finals of the World Athletics Indoor Championships 2024 at the last minute after experiencing pain before the start of the race.

Although the American sprinter appeared at the start line of the 60m, she couldn’t compete in the race as she suffered from discomfort and had to be taken out of the race in a wheelchair.

Hobbs had qualified for the semi-finals of the 60m, clocking a time of 7.07s, to finish first in Heat 7, and an overall third rank in the heats at the Glasgow Indoor Championships 2024.

However, after racing in the heats of the competition, she mentioned how she wasn’t at her complete best during the event. In an interview with Citius Mag, Hobbs stated:

“It felt pretty good. It was a little rough. I had to get going. I don’t know. My legs feel heavy for some reason, but we got that one out of the way.”

In addition, she also faced another challenge on Saturday (March 2), as her morning alarm didn't ring since it was set only for weekdays.

Later in the evening, she advanced to the finals of the 60m after registering 7.04s in the semi-finals. However, she was seen limping after the semis, which made her fans and followers worry about her fitness.

Despite Aleia Hobbs not being able to win her first World Indoors medal, the competition saw Julien Alfred earn a historic medal for Saint Lucia which was the country's first ever at the World Athletics Indoor Championships.

Later, Hobbs took to X (formerly Twitter) to share an update on her injury. She responded to a tweet from retired American sprinter Bianca Knight, stating:

“Yea I’m good, I was just cramping up bad”

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Aleia Hobbs is an Olympic silver medalist

Aleia Hobbs competes in the first round of the Women's 100 Meter during day one of the 2020 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials at Hayward Field on June 18, 2021 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Aleia Hobbs won the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, being part of the United States’ 4X100m relay team. She competed in the final leg of the heats of the event, helping the USA team to qualify for the finals, recording a time of 41.90s.

The team during the heats also comprised Javianne Oliver, Teahna Daniels and English Gardner. In the final, the United States, consisting of Oliver, Daniels, Jenna Prandini and Gabrielle Thomas, finished second to Jamaica with a season-best time of 41.45s.

With the likes of Briana Williams, Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson in the team, Jamaica won the race, setting a national record of 41.02s.