“Devastated”: Fracture at Paris Olympics Leaves Track and Field Community Weeping Over 19-Year-Old High Jumper’s Exit

Nothing comes close to failing to continue the legacy of the family at the highest stage. The 19-year-old Serbian high jumper entered the Paris Olympics, as one of the firm contenders to take the medal home. Her home is nothing short of an athletic school, where her parents are multiple Olympians. But now every hope to don the medal around the neck looks to be impossible, as Angelina Topic had to bow out of the contest, just before the long jump final event. Her ankle injury has decimated her dream to elevate her family legacy by winning the Olympic medal. Her fans have tried hard to withstand the loss. 

Today, in the qualifying round, Angelina cleared 1.92 meters. Sharing the 12th rank with American athlete Vashti Cunningham, she was sure about making it to the final. But the damage had already been done. The grueling pain in her ankle made her wince in agony. Yet, she continued and finished the round. However, a scan later confirmed her fractured ankle, and that was the death knell of Angelina Topic’s target to touch the sky. Meanwhile, on X, her fans grieved at the news. One such fan commented, “bl***y hell, Angelina Topic jumped today on a fractured ankle. and made the final. devastated for her.” So had she.

Right after completing her double jump today, the teenage athlete had a realization of what could come next. Her last attempt, 1.92m, put her up with the frontrunners Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Nicole Olyslagers. Although, she covered such a long height without her full run-up on the track. Therefore, it can be argued that her fully fit athletic form could have been too challenging for the opponents. But the Serbian athlete knew that she would not be there in the final to pose for that. The realization was evident in her words. 

While facing the media, Angelina Topic said, “I somehow managed to reach 1.92 meters and was watching to see if the other girls would go further. But I don’t know if I will participate in the final. Reaching the final was my dream”. The leaderboard displayed her jump heights as 1.83m, 1.88m, 1.92m and 1.95m. But what it failed to show was her determination. At last, the physical boundaries overpowered her character, but the fight was enough to make her a people’s champion. The feed on X stood to be the eyewitness. 

Fans felt Angelina Topic rolling despite having an injury 

Before the qualification round, Angelina Topic had started her warm-ups full-fledged. That was the time she realized the pain, but riding on the momentum, she wanted to finish the qualifying round. But the injury did not take much time to go pretty south. Yet her highly motivated performance didn’t let several fans doubt her fitness level. They could get to know the actual situation after the announcement. 

One from that group commented, “Wait, she fractured it?? I thought she just rolled it. That su**s, man.” Meanwhile, another follower found it hard to grab the fateful news. The subsequent comment came as, “THAT ANGELINA TOPIC WILL NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE HEIGHT QUEEEEN FINAL. I’m devastated , may my girl recover”. Now, with her bowing out, the dream to watch her wearing the Olympic hardware hit rock bottom. 

The disbelief was evident in fans’ comments. One such example is, “Nooo…. ☹️Angelina Topić will not perform in the final of the Olympic Games”. But in the garb of disbelief and grief, a unison wish to see Angelina Topic reaching sky-high in the future was present. The emotions were present in the lines, “mila angelina topić, such a hero at the age of 19, God is preparing something big for you, we are sure”. We also hope for her speedy recovery and to take the track in her full health.