"I'm really f****g bummed" - Olympic medalist Molly Seidel pulls out of US Olympic Marathon trials due to injury

Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Molly Seidel has pulled out of the U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials 2024, scheduled on February 3, owing to a knee injury that she sustained a month ago.

She revealed that her MRI results showed that she had broken a patella and partially torn her patellar tendon. Despite her best efforts over the past month and receiving support from her physiotherapists and doctors, her knee hasn’t recovered completely. This has led her to opt out of the Olympic trials.

Molly Seidel announced this news through a video on her Instagram (IG) account, where she expressed her disappointment for not being able to compete at the trials, stating:

"I've been just really dreading having to make this video but I decided yesterday along with my coach that I will not be lining up for the Olympic trials marathon this coming Saturday. About a month ago my knee took this huge turn for the worst.”

She added:

“I've been cross-training my a** off but ultimately I got to this week and my knee had not healed up enough and I knew that I could not race a marathon hard on it in its current state without really enjoying myself. I am really f*****g bummed.”

Despite her being ruled out from being able to defend her Tokyo Olympic medal, she was confident that the country would send its strongest team to the Paris Olympics 2024 in marathon running.

“I know that the team that we will be sending is going to be the most incredible most competitive team we can be and I'm going to be watching and cheering for all the men and women racing this weekend and that's it."

Molly Seidel is the latest athlete to pull out of the US Olympic Marathon trials after Jared Ward, Susanna Sullivan, Makena Morley, Emma Bates and Allie Kieffer.

Recently, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) announced a major update for the US Marathon trials 2024. An athlete must complete the race and attain a timing of 2:11:30 (men) or 2:29:30 (women), either during the trials or in the qualification period, unless they have qualified by other criteria.

The selection priority will be given to the finish order at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials 2024 among those who have met these time standards within the Olympic trials or the qualification window.

Molly Seidel becomes the first medalist for the USA in women’s marathon since 2004

Peres Jepchirchir (middle), Brigid Kosgei (left) and Molly Seidel (right) after the Women's Marathon Final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Molly Seidel qualified for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 after finishing second in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, clocking a time of 2:27:31. She then went on to claim the bronze medal with a time of 2:27:46.

She narrowly finished behind Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir and Brigid Kosgei, who clocked 2:27:20 and 2:27:36, respectively.

With this, she became only the third U.S. woman to win a medal in this event after Joan Benoit Samuelson (gold in 1984), and Deena Kastor (bronze in 2004).