GABORONE, Botswana — Ahead of the 2026 World Athletics Relays, five-time Olympic gold medalist Elaine Thompson-Herah has opened up about the grueling process of returning to elite sprinting after a season-long break to recover from a painful Achilles injury, revealing she relies on personal grit and faith rather than formal mental health therapy to navigate setbacks.
The Jamaican sprinting icon acknowledged that bouncing back from a major injury has tested her limits both physically and mentally, but she emphasized that her self-belief and inner resilience have carried her through the hardest stages of recovery. “Coming back from injury it has been challenging mentally, physically but for me I am always believing myself as a tough cookie,” Thompson-Herah told reporters. “I have never been to a therapy or whatever, or whatever that thing is I don’t believe in it because I am my own therapy. I do believe in God, I have a supportive team who believe in me and I do believe in myself.”
After stepping away from competition entirely last year, Thompson-Herah says the time off was exactly what she needed to reset both her body and mind, and she has no plans to rush her comeback this season. Instead of chasing immediate results or fast times, the sprinter is framing 2025 as a gradual rebuilding phase, focused on assessing her current fitness level and reconnecting with the joy of competition that made her a global star.
“Not competing last year, I think it has done a lot to me. Probably I needed that rest. That away from the sport to clear myself and to comeback so using this season is like a rebuilding process not to rush or to think too much,” she explained. “I have expectations but this season I’m just doing step by step running couple races just to see where I am at.”
This weekend, Thompson-Herah will compete alongside a new generation of Jamaican sprinters in the World Athletics Relays, hosted in Gaborone May 2-3. For her, the event is more than a qualifying race for next year’s world championship — it is an opportunity to enjoy team camaraderie and rediscover the love of the sport that defined her legendary career.”Running with these younger folks, carrying the baton around will be a good plan for us to see where we at this season,” she added. “It’s just fun for me coming out here in Botswana not to just do relay but to have fun with the team as well, qualify for the championship which is next year, so this year for me is about having fun and finding back the Elaine.”
The sprinter ended her comments with a quiet note of ambition, signaling she still has major goals left to achieve in her career: “I have more to accomplish.”