Another USA Athlete Withdraws from 200 Meters at IAAF World Outdoor Championships

By Adam Kopet, DyeStat Editor

The ranks of Team USATF in the men's 200 meters is getting a little thin. The Houston athletic department announced Wednesday that USATF Outdoor Championships third-place finisher, Elijah Hall-Thompson, has withdrawn from the IAAF World Outdoor Championships due to a lingering injury.

Hall-Thompson, a junior, first suffered an injury at the NCAA Division 1 West Preliminaries, preventing him from qualifying for the NCAA D1 Outdoor Championships. He had previously won the American Athletic Conference Championships 200 crown in a then-NCAA leading 19.96.

Running in lane eight at the USATF Outdoor Championships, Hall-Thompson was a surprise qualifier. He finished in 20.21, 0.12 seconds behind the winner Ameer Webb. The 200 final was run into a 2.3m/s headwind, significantly slowing times.

Both Hall-Thompson and second-place Christian Coleman have now withdrawn, leaving Kyree King and Isiah Young as the next two athletes to be selected to compete in London next month. Coleman will still compete in the 100 and likely the 4x100 relay.

Hall-Thompson still has one year of eligibility remaining and will return next season to compete for the Cougars.