– I felt a bang and knew right away that now everything is not okay.
Keshorn Walcott still clearly remembers what happened on August 25, 2023. The Trinidadian javelin was on the warm-up field preparing for the Budapest World Cup qualifiers when the heel of the supporting leg failed during the cross step phase.
Walcott immediately headed to the medical center, where the heel was quickly examined with an ultrasound machine. It revealed nothing out of the ordinary.
Walcott wanted to continue preparing for the qualifying session, which would start in a few minutes, until his trusted man put an end to the idea. The two headed to the hospital, where an MRI revealed a large tear in Walcott’s Achilles tendon that required surgery.
On August 27, Walcott traveled to Finland, where a surgeon Lasse Lempainen excised the lesion a day later. According to Lempainen, the majority of Walcott’s achilles was torn from the heel bone.
– I was only interested in, Can I compete next year, Walcott recalls his meeting with Lempainen last August.
According to Lempainen, the silver lining in Walcott’s injury was that the Achilles had not completely detached from the heel bone. If this option had come true, the 2012 Olympic champion could have buried his dream of the Paris five-ring Games.
– My chiropractor, who was with me on the training ground, talked me into withdrawing from qualifying, Walcott says.
According to Walcott, Lempainen was careful not to promise too much in terms of recovery. However, in April 2024, a good seven months after the surgery, Walcott announces that he is ready for the Olympic summer. He has only one goal for that.
– 6–7 months ago, I thought, Can I compete anymore? Now I think I can win an Olympic medal.
No javelin thrower has won a medal since Achilles surgery.
Dealing with fear
Although Walcott is back in the books of healthy bowlers, so to speak, the mental recovery is still in progress.
Walcott still remembers the moment when he got to feel the sports training in mid-January.
– I remember the first day, when the intention was to do cross steps on the grass. I was very scared. I ended up postponing the practice by two weeks. Although I was physically ready to do the exercise, my mind resisted.
Walcott has been among the world’s javelin elite for 12 years. During that time, he has suffered from injuries that have brought things into perspective. The restoration of confidence that Achilles can withstand normal throwing continues.
– After the initial shock caused by the injury, the most difficult thing has been to overcome the mental barrier. The competitions are approaching, so the time for preparation is over. You have to dare to let go to the fullest, says Walcott.
Here lies the biggest question in terms of Walcott’s dreams of success. Will the nearly hundred-kilogram Trinidadian be able to run to the line like he used to and crash into his supporting leg? It causes an impact force of about 1200 kilograms on the Achilles tendon.
If this is not the case, the medal throws are just a dream.
Just a few races
The 31-year-old Walcott is an early season pitcher. His top ten races tell that. Although the record is from July 2015, eight of the other top 10 races are from June.
So Walcott doesn’t need several games to get in top shape. He has taken this into account when planning the competition program. The only goal of the season is in Paris, where the Olympic qualifier will be played on August 6 and the final two days later.
– I decided to do everything this year a month late compared to normal. In the first race I just want to see where I am mentally. The goal is to open the season in earnest at the end of June, Walcott says and announces that he wants to participate in two races in Finland.
The first would be the Turku Paavo Nurmi Games on June 18, and the second would be the Kuortane Games four days later.
– In addition to these, my intention is to compete before the Olympics only in my country’s championships and one race somewhere in July. That should be enough to set me up for success in Paris.
– My coach joked that I would be allowed to end my career if I won a medal in Paris and next year at the World Championships in Tokyo. After that, they say, I’m free to do whatever I want. If my coach’s words come true, I’m ready to put an end to this story.