Fiona O’Keeffe may not be fit for the marathon after suffering a potential unspecified injury. The USA athlete qualified for the Paris Olympics after winning the Olympic trials in Florida with a time of 2:22.10. She dropped out early of the competition and was off the back of the race.  She will not be contending for a medal today. Jess McClain, the US alternate racer, was brought into the competition by the team to replace O’Keeffe. Her injury is a huge blow to the USA’s aspirations of winning another medal and equalling China’s tally to finish first in the Olympic table. She was the biggest hope for that and was one of the favorites touted to bring a medal for the nation. Here is the tweet which talks about her injury and plight today-

Fiona O’Keeffe marked as DNF and did not complete the race

Fiona O’Keeffe was marked DNF as she wasn’t able to finish the Olympic marathon. It is devastating news for the American as her qualification into the games was some kind of a movie in itself. The trials in Florida was the first marathon she had ever participated in and many didn’t have much expectations from her. However, by the time she finished the race, not only did she secure her place in Paris, she also went on to set an event record. Moreover, she also beat her runner up by more than half a minute. Once the race was finished, she gained popularity among the fans.

Since this showcasing of talent was very special, many thought that she could be useful in her games for a medal. But, unfortunately fate had different plans.  Many on social media are wishing her luck. One user wrote, “I hope Fiona O’Keeffe has a good support system around her and wish her good healing.” The American shouldn’t ponder upon this too much. She has her whole career ahead of her and will get many such opportunities. However, this result might ensure China finishing first in the medal tally as they have one gold medal more than the USA and it is a big blow for the sporting federation. The last time this happened was in the Beijing edition in 2008. There also China finished first. Hopefully, USA bounce back better in 2026 at Los Angeles.