German Olympian Sophie Weissenberg leaves heptathlon in wheelchair after scary injury

Germany’s Sophie Weissenberg suffered a scary injury on Thursday while warming up for her first heptathlon event at the Paris Olympics. Weissenberg was pushed off the track in a wheelchair after collapsing in pain. The German outlet Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported that Weissenberg tore her Achilles.

After clearing one hurdle, Weissenberg appeared to clip the second, regain her footing and then continue before getting to the next hurdle. She barely made it over while falling to the ground. Per the New York Post, seven people surrounded Weissenberg before she was put in the wheelchair.

Sophie Weissenberg sufrió una lesión con vallas

Durante el calentamiento, chocó con un obstáculo y de inmediato cayó al suelo, agarrándose el tobillo con evidentes signos de dolor.

La Federación Alemana de Atletismo, confirmó que sufrió de una ruptura del tendón de Aquiles. pic.twitter.com/t938JJqhWN

— José Garduño Calva Fisioterapia (@jgcfisioterapia) August 8, 2024

People on social media showed their support for Weissenberg. One person wrote: “Sport(s) can be cruel. Sophie Weissenberg was all ready to make her Olympic debut for Germany in the heptathlon this morning, but then hit a hurdle and twisted her ankle in the warm up before her first event.”

Another person added: “That is heartbreaking for Sophie Weissenberg I can’t even imagine training 4 years for the Olympics to then get injured in the warm up just before you race.”

Weissenberg entered the Olympics after finishing seventh in the 2023 World Championships. At the event, the 26-year-old finished first in the high jump, fourth place in the 200-meters and fifth place in the javelin throw.

Sophie Weissenberg’s injury could be famililar for another heptathlete

One heptathlete that knows about Achilles injuries is Katrina Johnson-Thompson who is also competing in the Paris Olympics. The England native nearly missed all of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to a ruptured Achilles tendon. She recovered in time to participate but suffered a calf injury during the 200-meter dash and could not finish.

“The Team [Great Britain] holding camp in Saint-Germain feels like Montpellier with its slow southern vibe,” Johnson-Thompson said about this year’s Olympics, per The U.S. Sun. “It has been a perfect place for me to get good sensations, good feelings, and to practise my French, which was always terrible. It feels like a home away from home. Before the Games, I was very uptight and highly strung. Being in France for that long, surrounded by the people I was with, has definitely relaxed me and made me enjoy the finer things in life a bit more. It definitely suits my personality. I enjoy drinking espresso coffee outside, being late, and I just enjoy a glass of wine every now and again.”