After winning the 2019 world championship in the heptathlon, British athlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson had sights set on gold in Tokyo.
The gold won't come this summer for Johnson-Thompson after she suffered an apparent Achilles injury during the 200m portion of the heptathlon, falling to the ground in agony midway through the race. Johnson-Thompson ruptured her Achilles at the end of 2020 and had been rehabbing in order to compete in Tokyo.
The injury couldn't stop Johnson-Thompson from finishing the race, though. Officials tended to her on the ground, offering her a wheelchair to carry her off the track. Johnson-Thompson refused, instead choosing to finish out the race and hobbling across the finish line under her own power.
The heartbreaking scene turned inspirational as Johnson-Thompson ran away from the wheelchair and finished what she started.
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox.> Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
She won't be able to compete for gold in the remainder of the heptathlon, but this Olympic moment will stand as a true display of strength and courage.
