Olympic champion Gabby Thomas will miss this month’s track world championships with an Achilles tendon injury she’s been dealing with since May.
Thomas, the American who won the 200-metre sprint in Paris and was on both the 4×100 and 4×400 gold-medal relay teams, said she exacerbated the injury in July.
“I understand that it will be disappointing for some track fans to hear this news, but I’ve finally come to the realization that it’s OK to be human and take care of myself,” Thomas said in a statement sent out Tuesday to announce the news.
The withdrawal further clears the path for a possible sprint double for St Lucia’s Julien Alfred in Tokyo, who finished second behind Thomas in the Paris 200 but is the fastest in the distance this year. Alfred won the Olympic 100.
Thomas’s absence will sting for the Americans, who led the Paris athletics medal table by a considerable margin, but the 28-year-old said she had received plenty of well wishes after announcing she would not compete.
World championships run Sept. 13-21 in Tokyo.
Thomas did not look in top form last month at U.S. nationals, where she rallied to secure the third and final spot in the 200 by 1-1000th of a second. Thomas said she plans on competing in 2026.
WATCH l Thomas takes women’s 200m in Grand Slam Track debut in Jamaica:
Gabby Thomas of the United States wins the women’s 200-metre long sprints race at the Grand Slam Track stop in Kingston, Jamaica, with a time of 22.62.
