Abby Steiner announces break from track as she focuses on new pursuits in academics

Abby Steiner announced that she would take a break from track for a while after her third surgery and focus on other passions. The 25-year-old was accepted into the University of South Carolina, where she will pursue a degree in Exercise Science.

Abby Steiner graduated from Dublin Coffman and burst onto the American sprinting scene after she joined the University of Kentucky for an NCAA career. In 2022, she set an NCAA record in the 200m, storming to victory in 21.80s, and won the 200m title that year at the USATF Championships. While she made waves on the track, Steiner faced discomfort in her left heel, having to undergo surgery to remove a bone spur pressing against her Achilles tendon in 2023.

Problems re-emerged in 2024, prompting another surgery that forced him to miss most of the 2024 season. As per a recent Instagram update, the Kentucky alum underwent a third surgery and will pursue other passions, while taking a break from track. She also announced that she cleared the NSCA CSCS exam and will start her Master's at the University of South Carolina soon.

"2025 so far - had a 3rd surgery on my left foot, passed the NSCA CSCS exam, and got accepted into the University of South Carolina MS in Exercise Science program. Taking a step back from running for the time being to give myself the time I need to get healthy while pursuing some other passions of mine. Very excited for this Gamecocks chapter!!"

In 2022, Steiner won the Bowerman Award as she established herself as the top female collegiate track and field athlete.

Abby Steiner was left devastated after losing out on a Paris Olympic spot

Steiner at the 2022 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championship - Source: Getty

After an injury-marred 2023 season, Abby Steiner returned to track action in 2024, eyeing a spot on the Paris Olympic roster. She was first eliminated from the 100m finals after a fifth-place finish in the preliminaries, but was hopeful for the 200m. Despite a strong start to the latter event, the 25-year-old faltered and finished sixth, losing her chances of an Olympic appearance.

In an Instagram post later, she shared how hopeful she was, but her sequence of surgeries in the past year impacted her performances. Promising to bounce back, she wrote:

""August 2023: Haglunds surgery on my left foot. September 2023: Haglunds surgery on my right foot. So desperately wanted this to be the comeback season of my life and gave it everything I could to make it happen. To put it simply, it didn’t," she said.

"Thanks to those who continue to believe in me regardless of the outcome. It hasn’t been an easy journey these past couple years but I’ll be back. Psalm 73:26."

Abby Steiner was part of two gold-winning 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams at the 2022 World Championships.

About the author

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

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Edited by Agnijeeta Majumder