02/09/2026
Dear ,
Mad respect.
As the comments roll in from the couch crusaders saying you shouldn’t have raced, I completely understand why you did—and why not competing was never really an option.
Of course you were going to race.
It’s the Olympics.
You knew you had an injury. You knew there was risk (there’s always risk in elite sport). But you were strong, you had the green light from your team of experts, and your training runs showed you were more than ready. That’s a go. No hesitation. No looking back.
Thank you for showing up and giving it everything you had.
Competing is about testing limits in real conditions. And elite sport requires pushing those limits—that’s what you’ve always done. Today was no different.
Whether you cut it a little too close pushing the line, or whether the ACL played a role in the fall, honestly, it doesn’t matter.
What matters is that you showed us what it looks like to chase a goal without hesitation. And that is more than inspiring.
I’ve been in similar shoes—on a much smaller stage, but with the same internal debate. As a 50-year-old competitive hybrid/OCR athlete, I ruptured my ACL with a bone bruise and meniscus tear at World Championships in Sweden. While deciding about surgery, I kept training and competing…because I could.
In the meantime, I qualified for DEKA Fit and DEKA Strong World Championships—another big goal. I could run without pain, my expert team supported the decision, I wore a brace (you can see it in the pic), modified the riskiest movement, and gave it everything I had.
I’m so glad I took the opportunity to experience Worlds before I had surgery.
Today didn’t turn out the way you—or any of us rooting for you—wanted. A DNF is heartbreaking. But what you showed the world was how to take a calculated risk, push the limits, and pursue a goal with total commitment.
That tenacity, resilience, and willingness to put it all on the line is exactly why you’re the GOAT.
Thank you for who you are and what you do 🙏
So much respect. Always.
