Gabby Thomas: Olympic 200m champion out of Tokyo 2025 World Championships due to injury

Gabby Thomas was crowned the undisputed sprint queen at the Paris Olympic Games. Photo: Imago

Gabby Thomas: Olympic 200m champion out of Tokyo 2025 World Championships due to injury

Funmilayo Fameso 15:08 - 02.09.2025

American sprint queen Gabby Thomas will not compete at the Tokyo 2025 World Championships after confirming prolonged injury.

Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas is out of the Tokyo 2025 World Championships due to injury.

According Citius Mag, Thomas revealed her disappointment to track fans and confirmed her persistent injury.

Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas. Photo Credit - Kevin Morris

“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.”

The American sprint queen has been dealing with an Achilles injury since May, and it was exacerbated in July. She and her coach Tonja Buford-Bailey decided that there was not enough time for the injury to heal before the World Championships.

Gabby Thomas at the Paris Olympic Games

Thomas was one of the standout track stars at the Paris Olympic Games last summer, as she won three gold medals in the women's 200m, 4x100m, and 4x400m to be crowned the undisputed sprint queen.

Gabby Thomas won three gold medals at the Paris Olympic Games

She began the 2025 season in outstanding form by clocking a massive personal best of 49.14s to finish second in the women's 400m event at the Grand Slam Track in Kingston, and added the 200m win in 22.62s.

With a series of other impressive performances, Thomas was shocked at the Grand Slam Track in Philadelphia, where she lost in her trademark event to compatriot Melissa Jefferson-Wooden.

At the USATF Track and Field Championships, she leaned to finish third at the US trials, making the individual team to the Tokyo 2025 World Championships.

Thomas will later reveal after the race she had struggled with a foot injury throughout the season and only resumed full training a week before the championship.

With her confirmed withdrawal from Tokyo, Thomas will have to wait for her first 200m world title, having won a silver medal behind Jamaican queen Shericka Jackson at the 2023 edition in Budapest.