– Thomas said in a statement: “I understand that it will be disappointing for some track fans to hear this news, but I’ve finally come to the realization that it’s OK to be human and take care of myself. As an athlete, you always want to keep grinding, but sometimes you simply can’t outwork an injury. 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.”

– Thomas put together a strong outdoor campaign that included a victory at the inaugural Grand Slam Track meet in Kingston, where she ran 22.62 for 200m and then came back the next day to clock a 49.14 personal best to move up to No. 7 on the U.S. all-time list. She finishes the year with a season’s best of 11.02 for 100m and 21.95 for 200m.

Who Takes Her Spot On Team USA?

– USA Track and Field is set to announce the full roster for Tokyo very soon. Thomas was part of a 200m team that included U.S. champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Anavia Battle. Olympic bronze medalist Brittany Brown qualified by winning the 2025 Diamond League title last week.

McKenzie Long, the 2024 NCAA 100m and 200m champion and U.S. Olympian last year, finished fifth at the U.S. Championships and would get Thomas’ spot. Long finished eighth in the Diamond League final in Zurich. Long owns a season’s best of 21.93 from her victory at the Ed Murphey Track Classic in Memphis, Tennessee in July. Long shared an Instagram story after Zurich about taking a much-needed mental and physical break but Thomas’ scratch could delay that for a few more weeks.

What Does This Mean For The 200m at Worlds

– Thomas has medaled in the 200m at the Tokyo Olympics (bronze), 2023 World Championships (silver) and Paris Olympics (gold) so the championships will be missing a major star. After Thomas revealed her injury at the U.S. Championships, her gold medal outlook took a hit and it improved the odds for a victory by Olympic silver medalist Julien Alfred, who leads the world with her 21.71 personal best from the London Diamond League in July, and Jefferson-Wooden (No. 2 in the world with a 21.84 personal best from USAs).

If Alfred and Jefferson-Wooden are viewed as the favorites, the bronze medal is wide open. Long is the third-fastest woman in the world but struggled with a sixth place finish at the Lausanne Diamond League (although it was a downpour in rain) and last place finish in the Zurich Diamond League final. Her compatriot, Brittany Brown, is coming in with much more momentum with wins in both those aforementioned races.

The next-fastest non-Americans in contention would be Dina Asher-Smith (who finished second in the Diamond League final) and Amy Hunt, who have both run 22.14 and are tied for No. 10 in the world. The Côte d'Ivoire veteran Marie Josée Ta Lou-Smith also ran a season’s best of 22.25 to take third in the Diamond League final and would be seeking her first 200m medal at the World Championships since her silver in 2017.

– The 200m heats at the World Championships begin on Wednesday, Sept. 17th at 7:30 p.m. Tokyo local time (6:30 a.m. ET). The semifinal is on Thursday, Sept. 18th. The final will be on Friday, Sept. 19th.

Don’t Forget The Relays

– The United States and new head relay coach Darryl Woodson will also be looking to replace Thomas on the relays. In Paris, she was part of the gold medal-winning 4x100m and 4x400m teams. At this year’s World Championships, the 4x100m and 4x400m relays are contested just 30 minutes apart in the Day 9 evening session to close out the championships.