Double Olympic sprint champion Elaine Thompson-Heller has withdrawn from the Jamaican trials because of an Achilles injury, meaning she will not be able to defend her 100m and 200m titles at the Paris Games in August.
Thompson-Heller, who turns 32 on Friday, is one of the greatest sprinters of all time and the first woman to win back-to-back Olympic sprint gold medals, having defended both titles in Tokyo three years ago.
Thompson-Heller will compete in the 200m in April 2023 and was injured earlier this month at the New York Grand Prix when she finished the 100m in 11.48 seconds.
“It's never fun sharing news like this,” she wrote in an Instagram post, explaining that she felt something during the race but made it through the race before realizing “something was truly wrong.”
“When I was carried out of the truck I sat on the ground because I couldn't put any pressure on my legs,” she wrote. “I rushed [a] A medical examination revealed a small tear in the Achilles tendon.
“I came back with a strong determination to keep working hard and prepare for the national tournament, but my leg just didn't allow it.”
After winning an incredible sprint double at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Thompson-Heller was plagued by Achilles injuries that prevented her from medaling at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships.
The three-time Diamond League champion made a major comeback by winning a second double title in her second Tokyo Games, and also added a gold medal in the relay to bring her total to five.
Thompson-Heller said she will be cheering on her compatriots in Paris – hopefully on site – and that she has no plans to give up on her sprinting career.
“It's a long road but I intend to give it another go and keep trying, make a full recovery and resume my athletics career,” she wrote.
“I'm disappointed and sad that I can't compete in this year's Olympics, but at the end of the day, this is sport and my health comes first. I will definitely be back.”
Thompson-Heller had already decided to abandon her defence of her 200m title after missing the deadline to qualify for the Jamaica Athletics Championships, which run from June 27-30.
The athletics events at the Paris Olympics will take place at the Stade de France from 1 to 11 August.
Reuters contributed to this report.
