Heptathlon champion Nafissatou Thiam will miss the World Athletics Championships in Budapest

Olympic and world heptathlon champion Nafissatou Thiam will miss the World Athletics Championships in Budapest from August 19 to 27 due to an Achilles tendon injury. The Belgian athlete has a problem which saw her miss several competitions earlier in the season – her country’s national championship and the Diamond League tournaments in Monaco and London.

“I have decided not to participate in the World Athletics Championships in Budapest later this month. The last part of my training was thwarted by Achilles tendon problems and I don’t want to take any chances before the Olympic year”, said a disappointed Nafissatou Thiam.

The two-time European, world and Olympic champion was the main favorite for the heptathlon gold in Budapest. She had a great winter season, winning the European pentathlon title in Istanbul with a new world record of 5055 points.

Nafissatou Thiam is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, winning the heptathlon event at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She won the gold medals at the 2017 and 2022 World Championships, and 2018 and 2022 European Championships as well as the silver medal at the 2019 World Championships. Nafissatou Thiam holds the Belgian records in the heptathlon and pentathlon, javelin and long jump (out and indoors). She holds the world record for the high jump discipline within the heptathlon competition, set in 2019.