Elaine Thompson-Herah is no stranger to injury setbacks. What defines her is the way she comes back from each setback. Her coping mechanism, her unique beliefs, are at the front again as she is back for an elite event.

After winning three gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics, Elaine Thompson-Herah looked like Jamaica’s biggest hope heading into Paris 2024. But that dream was cut short when she withdrew after facing a small Achilles tear in June 2024. “I am hurt and devastated…,” she said at that time. And now, after nearly 20 months, she is back on the international stage. But for such injuries, it usually takes 3-6 months minimum to recover, but her extra-long recovery process did raise some questions.

Thompson is back for Jamaica at the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, Botswana, which will be held on May 2. Before the event, she spoke openly about the injury and her recovery journey. “It has been challenging mentally, physically, but for me, I’m always living myself as a tough cookie. I’ve never been to therapy or whatever that thing is. I don’t believe in it because I’m my own therapy,” Elaine Thompson-Herah said.

Interestingly, in elite sport, recovery is usually not just physical. Therapy is used by many athletes to regain confidence post-injury, cope with the fear of re-injury, and the pressure of how to move back to full speed. But Thompson has made another path; she has been looking upon self-belief, her faith, and her support team. “And I do believe in God. I have a supportive team who believes in me, and I do believe in myself,” she added. And that is how she has been getting through this phase always.

The Achilles story, though, did not start in 2024. It has followed her for years. After she became the second-fastest woman in 100m history, clocking 10.54 seconds at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene in 2021, she admitted the strain it put on her body. “After running 10.54, there’s been a challenge. Running that high, it’s taken a toll on my body, I must say,” she added.

Even before that, the issue had already appeared. After the Rio Olympics, she dealt with an Achilles tendon injury that affected her 2017 season. Then at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, she finished fourth in the 100m in 10.93 seconds. Elaine Thompson-Herah also progressed through the 200m heats in 22.61 seconds, but could not start the semi-final due to the same injury problem.

Then came another setback in 2024. At the New York City Grand Prix on 9 June, she suffered another Achilles injury and had to be carried off the track, a moment that ended her Olympic path for the season. “The Achilles was not giving me anything and was pretty much not competing last year. I think it has done a lot for me. Probably I needed that rest, that away from the sport to clear myself and to come back,” she said recently.

And that is the reason she has not been consistently on the track since then. Elaine Thompson-Herah has last competed internationally at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, where she ran in the 4x100m relay. Now, she is trying to return smartly with a longer view on her career.

Elaine Thompson-Herah chooses patience over pressure in her 2026 return

Elaine Thompson-Herah opened her 2026 season with 7.24s in the 60m at the Camperdown Classics in Kingston on 14 February. She then improved slightly to 7.20s a week later at the S.W. Henry Invitational. In her third race at Velocity Fest 18 in March, she looked more like herself in the 200m, powering off the bend and easing to victory in 22.61 seconds.

In Botswana, she now steps into the 4x100m at the World Athletics Relays, after already showing early speed this season with a 10.92s 100m run just weeks ago. But she is not treating any of it as pressure. “So, using this season for me is like a rebuilding process, not to rush or to think too much. I have expectations, but this season, I’m just doing it step-by-step, running a couple of races just to see where I’m at,” she said.

There is also a bigger picture in the background, with her eyes on defending her Commonwealth 100m and 200m titles in Glasgow 2026. This season, though, is not about medals yet. As Elaine Thompson-Herah says, “It’s just fun for me coming out here in Botswana, not just to do relay, but to have fun with the team as well… this year for me is all about having fun and just finding back the Elaine.” And that is where her comeback stands today.