Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas of the USA is set to miss the 2025 World Athletics Championships billed for September 13-21 in Tokyo, Japan.
The 28-year-old Thomas who qualified in third place at this year’s US trials, will miss out on the opportunity to win her first individual gold in Tokyo, after suffering from an Achilles injury.
Thomas, who also won gold in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays at last year’s Olympic Games, was aiming to secure a maiden individual world title in Japan, having finished second in the half-lap event in Budapest in 2023.
The five-time Olympic medallist said in a press release “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 added “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 Olympic Games in Paris represented a milestone in Thomas’ career, as she claimed gold in the 200m final, upgrading the bronze she won in the same event at Tokyo 2020.
However, the 2025 season had proven to be more of a challenge for the Harvard-educated athlete, with her best 200m time this year of 21.95 seconds placing her fourth on the 2025 list of fastest women, behind Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred (21.71) and Thomas’ compatriots Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (21.84) and Mckenzie Long (21.93).”
