Tokyo 2020 - ‘I hate that my story has played out in more heartbreak’ - Katarina Johnson-Thompson on Olympic injury

ByRichard Newman

Updated 05/08/2021 at 08:42 GMT

The heptathlon world champion pulled up with a calf injury half-way through the 200m, having recovered from an Achilles rupture to make the Games. Johnson-Thompson says she has "been knocked so many times and got back up, but it will take a lot of time for me to process this reality. You want it? We have it. Stream every Olympic event live on discovery+.

Katarina Johnson Thompson has described her injury withdrawal from the Olympic heptathlon at Tokyo 2020 as "heartbreaking" and says it will take "a lot of time" to get over it.

The world champion pulled up with a right calf injury at the halfway point of the 200m, the final event of the first day of competition, but refused to give up - rejecting a wheelchair to get back up and jog over the line.

Johnson-Thompson overcame an Achilles rupture to get herself in shape for the Games and was barely able to compete in warm-up competitions.

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"I don’t know where to begin in trying to explain how I feel," she said in a statement on Instagram.

"Only a handful of people understand what I’ve been through. Even a smaller amount understand the mental and physical challenges I’ve faced trying to make it back in time through a pandemic after my Achilles ruptured the back end of December. I started the year in a wheelchair and I was not willing to end my Olympic campaign the same way.

To make it to the line was a miracle. To not only do that, but to be on my way to putting a decent score together, is heartbreaking. I truly believed I was capable of winning a medal despite having up to half a year of missed training.

Johnson-Thompson says she was determined to compete at the Olympics, even though she knew she was not 100% fit: "More than ever, I am proud that I showed up, put myself out there and tried. It would have been very easy to shy away & pull out, to say I wasn’t ready and blame the injury but I’m not that type of athlete or person.

I am a fighter, I’m gritty AF and I find it extremely hard to give up. I can rest easy knowing I applied myself every single day and pushed until I couldn’t push anymore.

"I sacrificed so much, moving my entire life to France five years ago away from my family and fiends. I’ve lost heart knowing that the work my team and I have done for the last eight months was for this outcome and I hate that my story has played out in more heartbreak. I’ve been knocked so many times and got back up, but it will take a lot of time for me to process this reality.

"I appreciate everyone’s kind messages. Thank you x."

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