KINGSTON, Jamaica — Five-time Olympic gold medalist Elaine Thompson-Herah has withdrawn from the Jamaican national championships with an injury and will be unable to defend her sprint titles at the Paris Olympic Games, her management agency announced on Wednesday.
Thompson-Herah, who became the first woman to win back-to-back Olympic sprint doubles when she retained her 100m and 200m titles in Tokyo, had already decided not to defend her 200m title and was only entered for the 100m at the Jamaican Athletics Championships.
The 31-year-old sprinter finished last in her season-opening 100m last month, clocking 11.30 seconds at the 2024 Prefontaine Classic in Eugene. She then appeared to sustain an injury during the 100m at the NYC Grand Prix earlier this month while finishing in 11.48.
In a statement released by her management agency, Andi Sports Management, Thompson-Herah expressed her gratitude to her sponsors, fans, and well-wishers for their support during this difficult time.
“Five-time Olympic Games Gold Medalist Elaine Thompson-Herah has withdrawn from the Jamaica National Championships and will be unable to defend her sprint titles at the 2024 Olympic Games due to injury,” the statement read.
Thompson-Herah’s injury comes as a blow to her hopes of competing in the Paris Olympics, where the athletics competition will take place from August 1-11 at the Stade de France.
Thompson-Herah is the second-fastest woman in the 100m with a personal best of 10.54 seconds, set in 2021. She is the third-fastest ever over the 200m with a time of 21.53 secs, also accomplished in 2021.
