"It’s OK to be human" - Gabby Thomas announces heartbreaking update ahead of World Athletics Championships

American track and field athlete Gabby Thomas has announced that she will be missing out on the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this month due to an Achilles injury. Thomas earned the qualification to represent Team USA in the 200m event at the Worlds after finishing third at the National Championships with a time of 22.20 seconds. The track star previously revealed at the nationals that she was struggling with an Achilles injury, but still managed to compete.

Gabby Thomas has had an impressive 2025 season so far, making the injury she has now picked up even more disappointing. Thomas competed in multiple events, such as the Grand Slam Track meetings as well as the ATX Sprint Classic. This year, she had also set a personal best time of 49.14 seconds in the 400m event at the Grand Slam Track Kingston meeting.

In a statement she released, Thomas revealed that she will not be competing in the World Championships in Tokyo. The Worlds are set to be held from September 13th - 21st.

“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. 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.”

Gabby Thomas managed to beat Brittany Brown and McKenzie Long to earn bronze at the national championships. Now that she will be missing out, they could be on the shortlist to replace her.

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Gabby Thomas reflects on her highly successful 2024 Olympics: "It's not something a lot of athletes do"

Thomas at the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships - Source: Getty

Gabby Thomas recently discussed how well her last season went. Thomas competed at the Paris Olympics last year, where she won three gold medals. She earned one in the 200m as well as two as part of the 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams.

In an interview with Pop Sugar, Thomas said:

"Training for the 100, 200, and 400 definitely is difficult: very different race patterns, very different types of training. And it takes a lot of discipline and intentionality to master those three disciplines and have that range. So I think I'm most proud of being able to accomplish that. It's something that not a lot of athletes do."

Gabby Thomas also became the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in the 200m event since Allyson Felix in 2012.