“So desperately wanted this to be the comeback season of my life” – Abby Steiner pens an emotional note after falling short at U.S. Olympic trials
Abby Steiner went to the U.S. Olympic trials with the hope of having a smooth comeback after an injury-plagued 2023 but could not fulfill her dream of qualifying for the Paris Olympics. She was bidding for a ticket in the 100m and 200m but failed to live up to the billing after finishing out of the podium positions at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.
The two-time World Champion was eliminated after the preliminaries in the 100m after finishing fifth in 11.13. In the 200m, she was off to a great start, finishing second in the preliminaries and semifinal and clocking 22.29 and 22.03 respectively.
However, things went south in the final of the 200m, where she was forced to finish sixth in 22.24.
Abby Steiner had her fingers crossed to have this as a comeback season after injuries slowed down her 2023. She had two surgeries, a Haglund surgery on her left foot in August and later had to undergo another Haglund surgery on her right foot in September.
The back-to-back surgeries forced her to miss the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary where she hoped to be present and help the US defend their titles in the 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams.
After her exit from the U.S. Olympic Track and Field trials, Abby Steiner penned a heartfelt message on her Instagram handle, explaining the sequence of events since last year August and promised to bounce back doing much better.
“August 2023: Haglunds surgery on my left foot. September 2023: Haglunds surgery on my right foot. So desperately wanted this to be the comeback season of my life and gave it everything I could to make it happen. To put it simply, it didn’t,” she said.
“Thanks to those who continue to believe in me regardless of the outcome. It hasn’t been an easy journey these past couple years but I’ll be back. Psalm 73:26.”
Abby Steiner lauds Anna Hall for punching a ticket to the Olympic Games amid injury woes
Abby Steiner was one of the elite athletes who cheered Anna Hall following the majestic display that saw her qualify for her first-ever Olympic Games in Paris, France.
The 23-year-old scored 6614 ahead of Chari Hawkins and Taliyah Brooks who earned personal best times of 6456 and 6408 points.
This was a breakthrough moment in Hall’s life since broke her foot at the 2021 trials to miss the event. She also underwent knee surgery in January and bounced back to win the trials.
Hall shared the great news on her Instagram saying:
“I’M GOING TO THE OLYMPICS. A dream came true yesterday and for that I am thankful. This journey has challenged me and required me to grow in ways I thought I wouldn’t endure. but here we are. Joy, relief, gratitude…I have wanted (& worked for) this for sooo long. Paris I’m coming.”
Abby Steiner commented on her post saying:
“Beyond inspirational. You’re so fun to cheer for.”
On her part, Abby Steiner did not have a great outing at the Olympic trials, failing to impress in both the 100m and 200m. However, as she goes back to the drawing board, she will be back to take her rightful position.
