So sad: “I wasn’t able to properly walk for two weeks” – Abby Steiner reflects on foot injury that kept her out of the Paris Olympics 2024
Abby Steiner has been struggling with injuries, which have affected her performance this season and caused her to miss the Paris Olympic Games. However, she has provided an update on her progress and has vowed to fight to make a comeback.
Competing at the U.S. Olympic trials in June, Steiner made the final of the women’s 200m but missed a podium place to bid her Olympic dream goodbye. She clocked 22.24, while Gabby Thomas dominated with 21.81 seconds.
In a lengthy post on her Instagram handle
Abby Steiner noted that 2023 forced her to end her season early due to a Haglunds injury that required surgery. With the surgery, she didn’t have enough time to prepare for the Olympic Games, hence the poor show at the U.S. Olympic trials.
She pointed out her willingness to try and make things work out despite the struggle, noting that she returned to light training in November of 2023 and by December, she was back to training fully. However, in no time, she started feeling the same symptoms on her left foot.
“With it being an Olympic year and being the competitor I am, I figured I could tough things out for the next few months to get to trials. We threw essentially every single thing you can do for a foot at my symptoms, yet I was struggling big time,” Steiner said.
“I was often limping around before & after my practices and getting through on sheer willpower to fulfill a lifelong dream,” Steiner added.
She explained that things got worse heading into the outdoor season.
Abby Steiner claimed that training became an uphill task and she could barely jog. Steiner then got her third MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan, which confirmed her worst nightmare and the fact that she had to take a break from competitive running.
“Things progressively got worse as outdoor season went along and I ended up having to pull out of a couple meets before trials due to not even being able to tolerate jogs or walking drills at practice. Again, with it being so close to trials I was going to show up on that line to make a team no matter what,” Steiner said.
“After running rounds at trials, I returned home and wasn’t able to properly walk around my house for about 2 weeks. I got my third MRI of the season which showed us that there was more bone spur and a partial tear of my Achilles tendon, which meant it was time to shut it down (again) and get surgery (again),” she added.
In a lengthy message on her Instagram page
She explained how the sport can sometimes be difficult but she has learnt the art of resilience as she awaits the light at the end of the tunnel.
“I’ve been trying to find a reason for this season and have definitely been feeling all the emotions with this. This sport can be really, really hard sometimes. But I also have dealt with enough adversity to know that greatness is usually on the other side of these mountains,” Steiner said.
“Most of all I really love running pain free and I can’t wait to get back to that.I have a really good team around me and I’m thankful for that during these times. I’m gonna fight like hell to be back. See you on the track again soon (ish),” she added.
The last time Steiner stepped on the track was at the U.S. Olympic trials, where she finished sixth to miss a slot in the Olympic team. The two-time world champion was looking to make her Olympic debut in Paris but will have to wait until 2028 to compete in Los Angeles.
