NEW YORK — Jamaican track and field star and five-time Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah appeared to sustain an injury during the 100 meters at the NYC Grand Prix on Sunday, less than 50 days before the Paris Games.
The defending Olympic champion in the 100 and 200 meters removed her right shoe and sat down on the track after finishing last in 11.48 seconds, though the nature of her injury was not immediately clear.
Images posted on social media showed Thompson-Herah being carried from the track.
🚨Breaking: Track & Field Fans & my Jamaican cousins:
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) June 9, 2024
Elaine Thompson-Herah had to be carried off of the track at the New York Grand Prix, after injuring her Achilles while running the 100M.
She finished last in 11.48 (-2.1), but immediately removed her shoe & was limping. pic.twitter.com/7GEBVU4SI0
“I felt something uncomfortable as I began to push I still tried to go but it got worse,” she wrote on Instagram about an hour after the race. “I am awaiting professional advice moving forward.”
Thompson-Herah, the first woman to win back-to-back Olympic sprint doubles when she retained her titles in Tokyo, split with her coach late last year.
She finished last in her season opener last month at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene.