Why did Elaine Thompson-Herah decide not to defend her Olympic Title for the third time? All about the Olympic Champion's withdrawal

Elaine Thompson-Herah has recently announced her withdrawal from the Jamaican Olympic Trials, which are scheduled to be held from June 27 - 30. The athlete, who clinched gold in both the 100m and 200m disciplines at two consecutive Olympics, will not be representing her country in Paris, citing an Achilles injury.

At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Thompson-Herah stood atop the podium in the 100m final, where she clocked 10.71s, besting Torie Bowie, who clocked 10.83s. Similarly, in the 200m finals, she again clinched gold after recording a time of 21.78s, becoming the first female Jamaican sprinter to win the 100m and 200m at one Olympic Games. She continued the legacy at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as well and was expected to do the same in Paris 2024.

However, the Olympic champion won't be defending her titles for the third time, as she has announced her withdrawal from the trials on social media. She has sustained a small tear on her Achilles tendon, which was discovered during her competition at the New York Grand Prix.

Elaine Thompson-Herah couldn't apply any pressure to her leg at the Grand Prix, and the Achilles injury was found after an immediate medal checkup.

According to her post on social media, the Jamaican athlete revealed that after finding out about the tear, she still planned on competing at the trials, but her leg did not permit her to do so. Disappointed with the circumstances, the 31-year-old is ready to "start over".

She shared a bunch of pictures on her Instagram, revealing the heartbreaking news in her caption and stating that she was "devastated to be missing the Olympics" this year.

"It's a long road but I'm willing to start over and keep working and to make a full recovery and resume my track career," wrote Elaine Thompson-Herah. " 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."

Along with this, she said that she will keep working on her goals and confirmed her presence at the Paris Olympics as a spectator.

"I will still continue to work towards my goals that I haven't achieved yet. I will be definitely watching hopefully from the stands and cheer my country Jamaica on. I WILL BE BACK."

Adversities in Elaine Thompson-Herah's career

Elaine Thompson-Herah has had an exceptional career, with notable wins in several prestigious competitions. However, she has faced her fair share of trials and tribulations too, with several injuries over the course of her career.

One of the most recent ones she faced was in 2023, during the Budapest World Championships. She sustained an Achilles tendon injury, which eventually resulted in her pulling out of the 4x100m relay. In an interview with nationwideradiojm.com, she opened up about the pain she felt from not competing in Budapest.

"It was really hard, the fact that I did not make the individual team for the world championships," Thomson-Herah said. "I cried for two weeks, I did not want to finish the season, but my husband pushed me to continue. I'm a warrior, it's not bad to cry, it's not bad to feel pain." (via Pulse sports)

In 2022, the Jamaican sprinter had to withdraw from the Birmingham Diamond League, citing the same issue. Prior to this, she went through a setback in 2020, where she sustained a heel injury. Elaine Thompson-Herah also withdrew from the 200m and 4x100m relay at the 2019 Doha World Championships because of a shoulder injury and finished fourth in the 100m event.

Another setback in the 31-year-old's career was during the 2017 World Championships, where she finished fifth, citing an Achiless injury.