Elaine Thompson-Herah Being Publicly Ignored by Athletes Irks Track & Field Community: “Bad for the Sport”

Elaine Thompson-Herah was looking to replicate her Tokyo antics in Paris. Sadly, her dreams came to a screeching halt at the NYC Grand Prix. However, things were not meant to be somber for Thompson-Herah. Starting 2024 with the Prefontaine Classics debut, Thompson-Herah finished eighth as she was expected to pick up pace in the subsequent races.

But most devastatingly, Elaine Thompson-Herah was spotted limping at the 2024 NYC Grand Prix. And what was even more shocking was the reaction from her peers. When the gun was fired, Thompson-Herah probably envisioned herself taking the gold. Unfortunately, despite a strong start, Thompson-Herah began to slow down as the race came to an end.

Finishing ninth, Thompson-Herah could only muster 11.48s, after which she was carried off the field. Edging past the defending Olympic champion, Nigerian runner Favour Ofili won the race with a time of 11.18s. Soon after her injury, rumors broke out regarding the niggle being a season-ending one. 

One more thing that came to the forefront was the alleged lack of empathy from Thompson-Herah’s peers. After Thompson-Herah limped off the track, none of the sprinters checked on her as they nonchalantly walked past her. Such a claim was made by an X user Romeko, who also uploaded a video to back the allegations. The post read, “None of the other girls went over to see if she was ok or helped her off the track. They all walked right past her 😢.” 

Well, while it is unclear whether the allegations have any merit, Thompson-Herah has commented on her injury a few hours back on her Instagram. “I felt something uncomfortable as I began to push I still tried to go but it got worse,” wrote Thompson-Herah. “So I am awaiting professional advice moving forward” thanks for your continuous support 🙏🏾.” With her fans praying desperately, they also did not miss out on commenting about the highlighted incident on X. 

Fans take a stance on Elaine Thompson-Herah controversy 

As soon as the post gained traction, fans online began to chime in with their opinion. One fan perceived the attitude of the athletes as an incident lacking sportsmanship spirit and support. The fan expressed disappointment regarding the fact that, despite Elaine Thompson-Herah’s injury, no one offered any assistance showcasing a lack of empathy and camaraderie within the competitive environment. They wrote, “The sportsmanship is lacking”.

One comment underscored disappointment over the reaction from Gabby Thomas for not showing empathy towards Thompson-Herah. “Especially Gabby because she is all about “women””, added the fan. The fan shared an opinion and tried to imply a sense of hypocrisy that might be prevailing. The fan mentioned Thomas’ purported support for women’s issues, which was put in contrast with her alleged lack of concern for a fellow female athlete in distress.

Commenting on the same line, another track enthusiast shared, “mhmm yup! Gabby Thomas who is “all for women” even looked at Elaine and just stepped right past her. WOW”. Fans noticed Gabby Thomas’ indifferent attitude and threw light on her for allegedly ignoring Elaine Thompson-Herah’s injury at the NYC Grand Prix.

One user tried to voice their opinion from a different perspective. They defended athletes’ actions, stating they shouldn’t assist Thompson-Herah off the track and that they might not have noticed her injury if she was behind. The fan commented, “First, they’re not supposed to help her off the track. Second if she was in back-how would they know she was injured? They are being focused on their assignment at hand”. “Very bad for the sport”, added another infuriated fan.

“Right. Not even 1 woman to comfort Thompson”, added another dissatisfied and disappointed fan. The X user pointed out how, despite Thompson’s visible distress, none of the women present took the initiative to check on her well-being. Thus, with things taking an unexpected turn, a comeback update from Herah is the need of the hour. With the Olympic trials closing in on June 27, all eyes will be on the champion on how she recovers.