Team GB star Dina Asher-Smith failed to qualify for the women's 100-meter final on Saturday and immediately pulled out of the 200m, revealing a hamstring injury in the build up to Tokyo 2020.
Asher-Smith spoke of her injury after missing out on a spot in the final of the women's 100m. She revealed to the BBC that she tore her hamstring "pretty bad" during the Olympic trials in June, which saw her miss meets at both Stockholm and Gateshead.
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She was originally told she had ruptured her hamstring and faced three to four months out.
"It's been a lot to deal with because quite frankly, with that diagnosis, I just can't go to Tokyo, so we had this whole statement ready to go but then I thankfully went and got a second opinion and it was a slight misdiagnosis -- even though there was still a tear, it wasn't a rupture, my hamstring was still attached, so we turned over every single stone to make sure I can stand on the line." Asher-Smith said.
Asher-Smith, who was clearly emotional, talked through her emotional and physical journey over the past six weeks and said before the injury, she was "confident" she would win a gold at the Olympics.
She came to Tokyo as the world champion in the 200m and was one of the favourites for both the 100m and 200 at the Olympic Games.
Sport can be cruel but champions prevail. @DinaAsherSmith will be back.#TeamGB pic.twitter.com/frvrus8YF1
— Team GB (@TeamGB) July 31, 2021
When asked about whether she would give the 200m a go, she talked through her thoughts and made a sign with her hands of her heart breaking as she said she was pulling out of the event.
"The most frustrating thing for is that I was in really good shape. I was in the shape of my life. I can say that with my hand on my heart. If you asked me six weeks ago, I would have told you I was very confident I was going to win this. I am entirely being completely frank because I know every part of my race, my start, my transition and my finish was better than some of the fastest women in the world.
"But when you get a hurdle like that, suddenly everything re-jigs. I had the low of being told it's impossible for you to even be here, to then be told 'oh, there's a chance.'
"It's been a journey and I'm so proud to have come out here and run 11.08 after just a week's worth of spring training, because I spent four weeks trying to run again."
"Because of the journey and having three weeks off running, and a week running slowly... I am really proud of everything I've done to this point, but when you're talking about the standard I know I'm capable of...there are plenty of more championships... I got the hamstring tear at a really inconvenient time. It's the Olympics, but there's another one..."
Denise Lewis, Olympic gold medallist for Team GB in the heptathlon from Sydney 2000, said on the BBC: "It is devastating and no-one wants to see an athlete like Dina pull out, but she will be back and if her hamstring is bad she is making the right decision. It is part of your growth, understanding how you deal with that and how you come back. The pressure to pull out is always tough."