May 2, 2024 – 6:15 PM PDT
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Emma Coburn will miss the U.S. trials for the Paris Olympics after breaking her ankle at the Shanghai Diamond League meet last week, the Rio steeplechase bronze medalist said on Thursday.
The three-time Olympian initially thought she had just sprained her ankle on the water jump during the race on April 27, but said images showed the injury was far more severe as she had suffered torn ligaments, damaged cartilage and a fracture.
“The dream of Paris is over,” Coburn wrote on Instagram. “There has been a *lot* of heartbreak in the last couple years for me, but damn, I love this sport and nothing heals a broken heart like working hard and getting back.”
Coburn, who won the World Championship in 2017 and took silver at Doha two years later in the steeplechase, said she underwent surgery and had a screw placed in her ankle.
“If all goes well, I can start jogging again in six weeks,” said Coburn.
Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Peter Rutherford