Jamaican sprint queen Thompson-Herah to miss Paris Olympics

Five-time Olympic gold medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah has withdrawn from the Jamaican national championships due to injury and will be unable to defend her sprint titles at the Paris Games, her management agency said on Wednesday.

The sprinter became the first woman to win back-to-back Olympic sprint doubles when she retained her 100m and 200m titles in Tokyo.

"Mrs Thompson-Herah would like to express her sincere gratitude to her sponsors, fans and well-wishers for the outpouring of love and support during this difficult time," Andi Sports Management said in a statement.

In a post on X, the 31-year-old athlete said: "I will be back."

Thompson-Herah had already decided not to defend her 200m title having missed the deadline to compete at the Jamaican Athletics Championships from June 27-30 and was only entered for the 100m.

She finished last in her season-opening 100m last month, clocking 11.30 seconds at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene.

She last competed in the 200m in April, 2023, and appeared to sustain an injury during the 100m at the NYC Grand Prix earlier this month, finishing in 11.48.

The athletics competition at the Paris Olympics takes place from August 1-11 at the Stade de France.