Jamaican sprint star Elaine Thompson-Herah recently celebrated her 33rd birthday on June 28, 2025. This comes after her absence from the Jamaican National Trials, held from June 26 to 29.

With her absence, this is the first time she will be missing from Jamaica’s World Championships squad since 2015. Notably, she didn’t register for either the 100m or the 200m events at the 2025 Jamaican National Trials, which serve as the selection meet for the World Athletics Championships, scheduled for September 13 to 21 in Tokyo, Japan.

Thompson-Herah, who turned 33, recently celebrated her special day in a stylish white fit with a small black purse and shared the glimpses on her Instagram handle. As she was all smiles in the pictures shared, she captioned the post, writing:

“33 and fabulous 💋. Happy and glowing 🤪”

Although Elaine Thompson-Herah will miss this year’s World Championships, she has previously collected five medals, one gold, three silvers and one bronze from her appearances at the 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022, and 2023 editions.

Last year, Thompson-Herah was unable to defend her 100m and 200m gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, having won both events at the 2016 and 2020 editions. This was due to an Achilles injury she sustained at the New York City Grand Prix, where she finished last.

Apart from the meet in New York, she only competed at the Prefontaine Classic, where she had a disappointing ninth-place finish.

JAAA President expresses concern as Elaine Thompson-Herah misses Jamaican National Trials

The Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) President Garth Gayle addressed Elaine Thompson-Herah’s absence from the National Trials, revealing that the association has made efforts to contact her or her agent but has been unsuccessful.

He admitted there’s uncertainty surrounding her current situation, adding that they remain concerned, but are ready to provide all sorts of assistance. In a recent interview with Jamaica Observer, he said:

“We do reach out to athletes and/or their agents, based on the [contact] numbers we have, [and] sometimes they [phone numbers] don’t work but we are anxiously curious what’s happening with her.”

“She [Elaine Thompson-Herah] is a national prize, and we would want to give assistance if needed in any way, shape or form. We too are concerned, because we believe she has a lot more in her to give to Jamaica,” he added.

The women’s 100m at the Jamaican Trials, one of the events Elaine Thompson-Herah has consistently competed in, has concluded, with Tina Clayton, Shericka Jackson, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce earning their spots on the World Championships team by finishing as the top three runners in the finals.