“Another 4 Years Wait”: A Month Before USA Olympic Team Trials, Former NCAA Champion Withdraws Due to Injury

Finally, the Olympic year is here. The track and field athletes are already undergoing serious training. For the USA, last year brought several pleasant possibilities in the sprinting field. Among them, a former NCAA athletic star resurrected herself in her way. The grand Boston Marathon last year witnessed that former Boise State athlete in an overwhelming grit etch her name in the US history of long-distance runners. Even in that pathway, she was almost there to override 2008 Beijing Olympic medalist Shalane Flanagan’s US record in the marathon. But a personal best timing was never short of quenching her thirst then. 

However, she couldn’t radiate the same confidence for the upcoming Olympic trial, giving a chapfallen presence. The sprinting community could only guess at heartbreak. 

“Not enough time” for Olympic participation 

On January 7, an Instagram post of Emma Bates showcased her wiping, only giving out some bad news in a garb of hope. The caption framed, “I don’t really know what to say. I don’t really know how to feel.” The confusion erupted as the 31-year-old athlete confirmed that she was back in her training schedule under the Team Boss. However, after that, teary-eyed Bates conceded, “I am withdrawing from the trials.”. Soon after, she spilled the reason for it, as lately, she was returning to her athlete self. “We just know that there’s not enough time to be where need to be. So someday, another four years to wait for another Olympic thing”, was her disbursement at the moment. 

Emma Bates went through a deep tussle for the Olympic berth with fellow American, Emily Sisson. The last Chicago Marathon elevated Sisson as one favorite for the upcoming Olympic days. But that race robbed Emma Bates of her aspiring Olympic chance. As she revealed in her subsequent IG post on that occasion, she had felt niggle in her plantar just crossing the midway on that day. That left her in the 13th position in the race. But confidence remained with her. 

The journey to continue under Joe Bosshard

In the wake of removing her name from the Olympic trials, Emma Bates confirmed that she will continue her training in Team Boss. Eventually, she received all her path-breaking success under her coach, Joe Bosshard. It was reflected in her statement after the penultimate Boston Marathon in 2023. On that day, an improving Emma Bates expected to outpace her ability, but not to give away too much. 

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So after the race, when she was asked about why she failed to get the podium, she clarified, “That wasn’t part of the plan at all (to be leading). My coach (Joe Bosshard) told me not to do it. He told me to focus on the second pack and let the top girls battle it out and then pounce,” Riding on this mantra, her fans would expect Emma Bates’ speedy return. 

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