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Elaine Thompson-Herah has struggled with injuries and coaching changes, missing key events like the 2023 World Championships and the 2024 Olympics, leading to uncertainty about her comeback strategy and coaching support.
Elaine Thompson-Herah has struggled with injuries this past few seasons and has been forced to make a series of coaching changes with the hope of having a great bounce back but all her efforts have ended up in flames.
All her struggles started last season when she missed out on an individual slot at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Elaine Thompson-Herah competed in the heats of the women’s 4x100m relay team that claimed a silver behind Team USA.
In 2024, Elaine Thompson-Herah was forced to withdraw from the Olympic Games due to an injury. She had only raced at the Prefontaine Classic where she finished ninth and then proceeded to the USATF New York City Grand Prix where she finished distant ninth.
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17:41 - 08.10.2024
Jamaican sprint legend Veronica Campbell-Brown agrees with Noah Lyles on the mentality athletes should possess
Campbell-Brown, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, has echoed Noah Lyles' sentiments on the mentality athletes who want to achieve their goals should have.
She changed coaches from Shanikie Osbourne to Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s coach Reynaldo Walcott last November and at the end of this season, she left Walcott and has since not revealed where she will be heading to.
Two-time world bronze medallist Greg Haughton weighed in on Elaine Thompson-Herah’s woes, noting that comparing her preparation and that of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, there are many differences. Haughton, speaking on his YouTube Channel, explained that coach Walcott is always present every time Fraser-Pryce is competing but he never observed the same for Elaine Thompson-Herah.
“When look at the preparation of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson-Herah, you see a vast difference in terms of the philosophy that they use to compete for the 2024 season. Because of that, I wanted to know who was making the decision when it came to how and why they competed,” he said.
“When you look at the two athletes, even though they are working under the same coaching instructions, you will see a difference between the two philosophies and because of that, and I wanted to know if it was their individual teams or if it was coach Reynaldo Walcott who made the decisions.
“I observed a lot of what Elaine Thompson-Herah did and one thing I can say is that I never saw coach Walcott at any of the track meets that she competed in but he was always there when Shelly-Ann competed and I asked myself why it happened that way.”
As a former professional athlete, the two-time Olympic bronze medallist shared that an athlete coming off an injury should be treated with care and he felt that the coach should have been there for Elaine Thompson-Herah more.
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08:33 - 10.10.2024
'You guys will see'- Jamaican youngster remains vague about training with Sha'Carri Richardson next season
Jamaican sprinter Alana Reid remains secretive about her potential future training with Sha'Carri Richardson, focusing instead on rest and preparing for her next season while setting ambitious goals for Jamaican sprinting.
He explained that the fact that she raced in high-level meets earlier in the season was also a red flag, pointing out that Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce competed in local meets to prepare herself for the Jamaican Olympic trials where she secured a slot in the Paris Olympic Games.
The former Olympic silver medallist added that money should never be the primary motivation for an athlete coming back from an injury and insisted that her management should have been easy on her as she aimed for a comeback.
“Where Elaine was at the time, it would have been good to have her coach there to support her. However, if he was not part of the decision-makers, then there must have been some resistance,” the four-time world silver medallist said.
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10:33 - 16.10.2024
'That fear is gone'- Amos Serem vows to topple Soufiane El Bakkali from steeplechase dominance
Amos Serem has promised to reclaim Kenya's steeplechase dominance in 2025 after defeating Morocco's Soufiane El Bakkali at the Diamond League final, expressing confidence and determination to bring the title back to Kenya at the World Championships.
“When I look at the fact that Elaine was injured for most of the season, Shelly was also injured, however, when Shelly came out to compete, she came out locally and ran some pretty easy and comfortable and she prepared herself gradually to compete at the national championships.
“Anyone who is in track and field at the highest level, you would never want to put an athlete, no matter how good they are, in two highly competitive races when they are coming off an injury and money should never be a primary motivator.”
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