Advertisement

World champ's shock announcement on eve of Tokyo Olympics

Zuzana Hejnova (pictured) smiling as she holds the Olympic gold medal.
Zuzana Hejnova (pictured) has withdrawn from the Olympics after a further injury setback. (Getty Images)

Two-time world champion Zuzana Hejnova has withdrawn from the Tokyo Olympics only a week out after setback.

Hejnova's has been plagued with back and Achilles problems in 2021, which has prevented the 400m hurdles champion from competing.

WOW: De Minaur out of Tokyo Olympics after Covid-19 bombshell

'DISASTER': Tokyo Olympics rocked by Covid-19 bombshell

'DOUBLE STANDARDS': Aussie Olympian slams QLD Premier

But, in a disappointing announcement, Hejnova said she wouldn't recover in time for the Tokyo Olympics.

The 34-year-old Czech Republic athlete said she “could barely walk let alone to train properly" in recent weeks.

“I feel much better now but to represent your country at the Olympics, you need to be in top form,” Hejnova said.

Hejnova to retire after crushing Olympics blow

Hejnova was aiming to retire after one last gold medal push at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which would have been her fifth Games.

However, the delay of the Olympics due to Covid-19 prompted Hejnova to delay her retirement for one more year.

But her latest setback, and inability to train, prompted Hejnova to announce plans to retire.

Hejnova won gold at the world championships in 2013 and 2015. She also took bronze at the 2012 London Olympics and finished fourth at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.

with AAP

Watch 'Mind Games', the new series from Yahoo Sport Australia exploring the often brutal mental toil elite athletes go through in pursuit of greatness:

Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.