US track star and Olympic champion Gabby Thomas will miss the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo next week owing to an Achilles injury, NBC Sports reported on Tuesday.

A triple gold medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympics in the Women’s 200m, 4x100m and 4x400m, Thomas has dealt with an Achilles injury since May. It exacerbated in July, NBC Sports reported.

“I understand that it will be disappointing for some track fans to hear this news, but I’ve finally come to the realisation that it’s OK to be human and take care of myself,” she said in a statement, NBC Sports quoted her as saying.

“As an athlete, you always want to keep grinding, but sometimes you simply can’t outwork an injury,” the 28-year-old said.

“Sometimes it’s about patience and making the right decision for the long term.

“All the best to my Team USA teammates fighting for medals in Tokyo.”

The world championships run from Sept 13-21.

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