Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas wil miss this month’s World Athletics Championships with an Achilles tendon injury.
The American, who also took gold in Paris in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays, has been dealing with the injury since May but exacerbated it in July.
She earned the final spot on the US team for Worlds with a third-place finish in the 200m at national championships in August, where she ran one-thousandths of a second quicker than Olympic bronze medallist Brittany Brown.
However, Thomas released a statement on Tuesday confirming she was pulling out of the World Championships. The event takes place from 13-21 September in Tokyo.
“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,” she said.
“As an athlete you always want to keep grinding, but sometimes you simply can’t outwork an injury. Sometimes it’s about patience and making the right decision for the long term.
“All the best to my Team USA teammates fighting for medals in Tokyo.”
The US has not yet released its full squad to travel to Tokyo. Brown qualified for the 200m by winning the Diamond League Final in Zurich last week, while Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Anavia Battle qualified by finishing first and second respectively at nationals in Eugene, Oregon.
