The Olympic 200m champion withdraws from Tokyo due to an Achilles injury

Gabby Thomas, who secured the Olympic 200m gold medal in Paris last summer, is out of the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

With this year's global showpiece event starting in less than a fortnight (September 13-21), it was deemed too soon for Thomas to recover from an Achilles injury that she's managed since May and exacerbated in July.

Thomas automatically qualified for Tokyo after placing third in the 200m at the USATF Outdoor Championships, clocking 22.20 (0.5) to beat Brittany Brown by just one thousandth of a second at Hayward Field. Brown also made the US team by winning the Diamond League 200m final in Zurich.

"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," Thomas said in a press release.

"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."

After running 21.95 (1.1) at the Miami Grand Slam Track meet back in May, Thomas is the fourth fastest athlete this year over 200m.

Olympic 200m silver medallist Julien Alfred holds the world lead in the distance, courtesy of her 21.71 (-0.6) from the London Diamond League.

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden won the 200m at the USATF Outdoor Championships in a personal best of 21.84 and she arrives in Tokyo as the second quickest athlete over half a lap this season.