“It Breaks My Heart”: American Track and Field Star Anna Hall Announced Rough Start to 2024 After Injury With a Humbling Message

“I’m just going to keep giving it my best and hopefully the chips will fall in my favor soon.” And they did! Ahead of the Olympic trials, heptathlete, Anna Hall was in a buoyant mood. The Highlands Ranch native has gone from strength to strength in the last two years, highlighted by her performances at the World Championships. But her dreams of qualifying for a first Olympics took a hit in January.

The 23-year-old has been reeling with injuries since the latter part of 2023, and her January update suggested that she might miss some events this year. The American Track and Field star updated fans about her surgery through an Instagram post that would see her missing the 19th edition of the World Athletics Indoor Championship.

“Earlier this month I had a small knee procedure… everything went smoothly, I am already well on the mend, and should be back on the track in a bit!“, the 3x World medalist captioned a series of pictures on Instagram on January 29. The procedure was carried out at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado.

As Anna announced her absence from the Indoor World Championship which was scheduled from March 1-3, a distressing tone accompanied her words. She added, “it breaks my heart to be passing on the indoor world championships next month.” However, the decision was taken keeping the 2024 Paris Olympics trials in consideration, and as it turns out, it was a decision well made!

Anna Hall has been one the most consistent and promising heptathlon athletes. After having a roller coaster of a career, Hall broke her foot at the 2021 Olympic Trials, and thus, missed out on participating in the Tokyo Games. But not to be denied this time, she looked prepared for the trials. Ahead of the trials, she described her added motivation to qualify for Paris.

Update on Paris-bound Anna Hall– On June 24, Anna Hall won the women’s heptathlon to earn a spot on the Olympics team. On Day 3 of the US Olympic Trials for Track and Field, she recorded the highest jump of the event by clearing a 1.82 meter high bar. If she manages to win gold at the Paris Olympics, she will become the first American woman since Joyner-Kersee went back-to-back in 1988 and 1992.

She said, “In 2021, I got told no. I came back with fire in my belly in 2022 and exceeded expectations. In 2023, I feel like I got told no again.” 

After her Olympic heartbreak in 2021, Hall won a bronze medal at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene and then returned to capture a silver last summer in Budapest, Hungary. She finished her 2023 season as the third-ranked pentathlete in the world with her score of 5004 at the U.S. Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, further underlying her credentials.

“I think the big focus for that meet is just taking it one event at a team and putting myself in a good position to be on the (Olympic) team.” 

Finding motivation while dealing with physical injuries and multiple surgeries can be incredibly challenging. In such times, the support of friends can make a lot of difference. For Hall, her close friend and veteran Jackie Joyner has been that pillar of strength.

“It means the world; she’s been there every day,” Anna stated in the post-race interview at the US Olympic trials on June 25, after she won the women’s heptathlon Monday, six months after undergoing a complex knee surgery.

Keeping up with the Kardashians, Anna Hall shares her training regime

In a TikTok video, Anna shared her training routine earlier this year, which included two hours of weight training and running, respectively. “It’s a full-time job, and it’s extremely time-consuming and it’s not as easy as it may appear to some people,” she said on one of her stories, while dubbing Kim Kardashian’s voice-over from season 20 of ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians.’

Despite a medal at a World Championship, she reeled with a series of injuries in 2023 that included a bone bruise and PCL. But, she is “proud of the way” she “handled that and kept fighting.” After her recovery, Anna was unexpectedly spotted at the NTT Indycar Series on March 10, which was quite a pleasant surprise for her fans!

On her “day 2 back in the sand,” recovered Anna took to her Instagram Stories in March this year to chronicle her journey to full health, expressing her gratitude to be able to hit the field again. She said, “…its humbling me to my coreee.” While being excited, she reassured her fans, “its fine, im fine, everything fine.”

With her now qualified for her first Olymics, Hall will have a chance to complete her comeback in Paris and capture a first gold medal at the senior level.

This article is updated with new information on 25/06/24