The German Thomas Roehler, reigning Olympic champion in the javelin throw, announced on Monday that he was giving up playing the Tokyo Olympics (July 23 – August 8) due to a back injury.
A blow for German athletics on Monday with the announcement of the withdrawal of Thomas Roehler, reigning Olympic champion in the javelin throw.
It was incredibly difficult for me to give up going to Tokyo. Along with my coach, I carefully weighed the pros and cons, but in the end it’s my health that comes first , said the 29-year-old, who was injured in training.
I have to listen to my body now, because I want to compete at the highest level for a few more years. By participating in the Olympics, I would take too many risks, because of my back injury , explained the German.
Roehler, who is also the reigning European champion, won gold at the Rio Olympics in 2016 with a winning throw of 90.30 meters.
Postponed for a year due to the pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics are due to start on July 23.
Even without Roehler, Germany still have an Olympic gold medal hope in the javelin in the person of 2017 world champion Johannes Vetter.