When Fiona O’Keeffe laced up her shoes for the Paris Olympics 2024 marathon, expectations were off the charts! But this excitement was very soon met with disappointment. Nobody saw it coming, considering the 26-year-old athlete’s iconic Olympic trials that left everyone awestruck. She completed her trial marathon in 2:22:10, leaving the competition trailing behind. But the plot took an interesting twist!

Imagine training for months and moments before marking your mark on the global stage, it all falls apart! Heartbreaking isn’t it? That’s the situation Fiona found herself in. The world saw her at the starting point, beginning the race. But she was missing at the finish line, with the screens glaring a “Did Not Finish” status.

What exactly went down with Fiona O’Keeffe? Why the DNF?

Fiona’s race took a turn for the worse after 5 kilometers. Wondering what went wrong? During the buildup to Paris, she was in her peak form. Logging in impressive miles and even tackling the challenging terrains at Mammoth Lakes, where she trained. But something she did not see coming happened, a minor issue turned major. A mild tightness she felt in her left hip, worsened as the days went by. Becoming unbearable on the day of the race.

“I did my last real track workout on Friday (August 2) and that was a good workout,” she recounted. “I felt strong, no issues, and then on Saturday on my run, I started having a little bit of tightness in the left hip.” It was the beginning of a domino effect. Despite the troubles cascading, she had managed to finish her preparatory run a day prior. Although she cut short the run, she was able to complete her run, keeping her confidence alive. “I thought we’d be able to manage it,” she said, “but walking around the rest of the day didn’t feel very good.”

Cut to the day of the finals! Fiona’s condition worsens, causing her to stop just after she completes 5kms. She sought medical help right after. So what’s going on with Fiona? Seems like it’s not just Fiona that doesn’t have answers but the medical professionals as well. “It feels like nobody’s been able to pinpoint it so far,” she shared. Fiona’s MRI showed no muscular or bone damage, but the pain persisted. “Physios seem to mainly think it was an issue of how my hips were aligned and I had an ongoing tight calf so it was possibly compensation because it was on the opposite side. That’s the best explanation I’ve been able to get,” she added.

Like a true sportsperson, even on the day of the race despite all odds Fiona felt like she had to give it a shot. However, she went on to say, “It was really painful. It felt like my body wouldn’t let me run the way I needed to from the get-go. I did a short warm-up and I didn’t feel like there was much point in continuing on, if I wasn’t able to compete effectively.” She went on running for about a mile, before realizing that carrying on could potentially ruin her future forever.

A winner in spite of it it all

Despite all the unfortunate lows, Fiona O’Keeffe’s is not close to over! Her marathon debut at the 2024 US Olympic Trials is only the beginning. In this marathon, she did not just qualify for Paris but also left seasoned runners including Emily Sisson and Sara Hall behind. Rookie status? Guess no more. Despite the infamous marathon hack turning into a bloody situation, Fiona won the race.

Fiona is no one trick pony either! She has been a consistent performer since her high school days. She has the feathers from the CIF California State Meet title, Gatorade California Cross Country Runner of the Year (2014), and USATF U20 Championships 5000m Champion (2016) to add to her crown. Post this she joined Stanford where she stacked more laurels including, eight All-American titles across various events.

But wait, that’s not all! Fiona turned professional in 2021 and continued to add more wins to her list. One of her personal bests includes her USA 10 Mile Road Championships (2023) win, where she clocked 51:42. Every good story has a conflict, a point when things fall apart and plans don’t work. This is definitely, the conflict of Fiona’s story. Her story has only just begun.

So what’s next for Fiona O’Keeffe? Will the world see her at the LA 2028 Olympics? As Fiona herself put it “I need to figure out what exactly is going on with my body because I feel like I don’t have the answers. I need to know what the best treatment approach is. I was going to take time off now anyway with it being after a marathon, so it’s a good time to reset and start assessing how I can train better in the future so I can get to the start line fully healthy and ready to go.”