When Anna Hall first came onto the track and field scene at Paris 2024, many thought that she was destined for a gold medal. But once the actual games started, this thought was even more solidified as she trailblazed to a third-place finish on day 1 of the 800m. But Anna was once again reminded just how tough the Olympics are as she ended up slipping to fifth place. But now, one year down the line, rumors about her comeback are loud and clear. But what does Anna have to say about it? After all, being an Olympian is not easy.

Well, not getting to fulfill her dreams, the mental impact made Hall hate her very own sport! Thus, without any known alternative, Anna Hall took a break from her competitive career. Thankfully, it did work its way to make Hall feel better again. And come the Grand Slam Track, she will again be raring to go, trying to bag herself a whopping prize money of $100,000. Ahead of her debut in Michael Johnson’s multi-million dollar extravaganza, Hall got candid with CITIUS MAG.

Hall opened her statement with a breath of fresh air for her fans. She opined that at the moment, the athlete has completely recovered from her physical strain from the Olympics. But dealing with the situation for one full year was not at all an easy task. Hall opined, “It was really so heartbreaking and track became so un-fun for like a whole year because it was stressful, painful, and I was afraid.” Surely, it does hurt a lot when the fun is taken out of the one thing that you love the most. 

Withstanding a lot of pain and stress, Hall ultimately had the guts to power through all of that. The mental impact was such that Hall had to relearn all of her lessons. And along with that, the heptathlete also had to relearn how to bring in the fun element into her training sessions. And this was quite challenging and awkward for her. The reason? Well, as per Hall, “I’ve had to re-learn how to have fun, which is funny because that’s kind of what I’m known for.” Thus, Hall decided to spice things up in her way. 

“Which is why it’s part of why I wanted to come here and spice it up, because I think this is how I find my joy in track and field,” Hall noted. What she meant to say was that her decision to register for the Grand Slam Track in Miami was fueled by her zeal to enjoy track and field again. Taking a bold step, she will be competing as a challenger in the 400m flat and the 400m hurdles.

And this would be a challenging ask for Hall. This is because Hall last competed in the 400s way back in 2023. Meanwhile, all of these efforts are directed towards her one big goal. And that is nothing but aiming for the summit in the LA 2028 Olympics.

Anna Hall eyes Heptathlon gold at LA 2028 after gritty Olympic debut in Paris

Anna Hall didn’t leave Paris with a medal. But she left with something perhaps more valuable—perspective, pain, and purpose. Five years after bursting onto the global stage and a year after nearly conquering the world in Budapest, Hall now has her sights firmly set on the top of the Olympic podium at Los Angeles 2028.

The road to Paris was a jagged one. A knee injury in January, followed by surgery and an uphill recovery, stripped Hall of the momentum she’d built in 2023. “It was very painful emotionally and physically,” Anna admitted. She further shared, “The first few days trying to high jump again, I couldn’t do a single-leg hop, and I’m like, how am I supposed to jump 1.85m in six weeks?”

Still, in the very arena where doubts once towered, she delivered a season’s best of 1.89m in the high jump—her favorite event—and clocked the fastest 800m time in the field at 2:04.39. Helping guide her through the storm was heptathlon legend Jackie Joyner-Kersee. After the first day of competition, Hall reached out for advice. “I’m going to call you,” was the response

. Joyner-Kersee, who herself opened the 1984 Olympics in LA with an injured leg, understood what few others could. “I wanted to do the same for Anna,” she said. Joyner-Kersee added, “When you see her, she’s giving her heart everything out there.” Former decathlon great Daley Thompson, who won Olympic gold in that same 1984 LA Games, echoed the sentiment.

Thompson stated, “She’s near enough to the top as it is.” He continued, “She just needs to have one or two different plans on how to get to the top.” Anna Hall finished fifth in Paris, but as the Games return to Los Angeles, she’s laying the groundwork for her golden moment. And with the grit she’s shown, her next leap might just land her at the summit.