Olympics: Cynthia Bolingo injured in 400m race in Italy
Cynthia Bolingo sustained an injury during a 400m race at an athletics meeting in Italy on Wednesday and had to abandon the race, nine days before the start of the Paris Olympics. The situation brings back painful memories of the previous Olympics in Tokyo, which Bolingo missed because of injury.
Bolingo was competing at the Meeting Arcobaleno in Liguria in northwest Italy. In the third and final heat, she stopped about halfway through the race. Her coach Carole Bam confirmed to La Derniere Heure that she had a calf injury.
“It's a similar problem as in April [during a training camp] in Curaçao,” said Bam. Bolingo then missed the World Relays in the Bahamas due to a calf injury. Her preparation for the European Championships in Rome in June was also disrupted, so she only participated in the 4x400m relay and not in the individual 400m competition.
The 31-year-old will travel back to Belgium on Thursday morning for an ultrasound.
Bolingo finished fifth at the World Championships in Budapest last year and is the figurehead of the women's 4x400m squad, nicknamed the Belgian Cheetahs. She is also a star performer in the mixed relay team, which is aiming for medals in Paris as well.
In 2021, she dropped out of the Tokyo Games at the last minute due to a hamstring problem.
Cynthia Bolingo at the European Championships Athletics in Rome, Italy, June 2024 © BELGA PHOTO JASPER JACOBS
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