The Olympic Games-Paris 2024 - Source: Getty — Anna Hall in action at the Paris Olympics [Image Source: Getty]

"I took a real break from Track" - Anna Hall explains her absence from events after missing out on the podium at the Paris Olympics

Modified Sep 29, 2024 04:56 GMT

Anna Hall missed the podium at the Paris Olympics by a close margin. The heptathlete fell 92 points short of an Olympic podium finish in the women's heptathlon event, despite her best efforts.

After the Olympics, the 23-year-old athlete from Denver, Colorado, disappeared from the track and field for a while. She didn't take part in any of the track events after the Paris Olympics.

However, Hall had a reason for that. She uploaded some snippets from her Q&A with her followers on her Instagram stories. In one of them, Anna Hall opened up on why she was absent from most of the events after the Paris Olympics.

Anna Hall's Instagram story about taking break after the Paris Olympics [Image Source: Anna Hall's Instagram]

As posted in one of her Instagram stories, Anna Hall said,

"I took a real break from the track after the Olympics for the first time ever honestly. This year was hard and even though I didn't want to admit it, I needed [a break]. I spent it traveling, seeing my friends and family and getting my puppy....After taking real time away, I am nervous getting back in shape."

Anna Hall had already given a hint of her break in an Instagram post made just after the Paris Olympics. She had written in the post,

"Thank you @paris2024 for helping me realize a lifelong dream but I wanted more. Thanks everyone for the kindness & love, I feel it all. You’ll hear from me soon. The Godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again, proverbs 24:16."

Anna Hall had taken part in the women's heptathlon event at the Paris Olympics. She finished fifth overall amongst the 23 athletes in this event, despite giving a seasonal best performance.

Anna Hall's performance at the Paris Olympics

Anna Hall of the USA in the women's heptathlon event at the Paris Olympics [Image Source : Getty]

The 23-year-old Anna Hall aimed for the best at the Paris Olympics. At an athletic meet held in Gotzis in 2023, the American heptathlete collected a total of 6988 points.

This made Anna Hall a strong contender for the Olympic podium finish at the Paris Olympics, despite the presence of two-time Olympic champion Nafissatou Thiam. She also proved her credentials by winning the silver medal at the 2023 World Championships held in Budapest.

Hall had begun on a decent note, clocking 13.36 seconds in the women's 100m hurdles. She jumped up to the height of 1.89m in the high jump, threw the shot in the shot put event to 14.11m, and covered the 200m in 23.89 seconds.

Despite not being on the top, Anna Hall had maintained her place on the podium. However, she messed up in the long jump and the javelin throw events. Hall jumped to just a distance of 5.93m and threw the spear in the javelin throw to only a distance of 45.99m.

Hall gave it her all to win the last event, i.e. the women's 800m. She made it, with a timing of 2 minutes, 4.39 seconds. However, despite her best efforts, her overall total was just not enough to win an Olympic medal. Despite a seasonal best of 6615 points, Anna Hall only ended up in the fifth position.

Nafissatou Thiam of Belgium performed a seasonal best of 6880 points to win the Olympic gold medal for the third consecutive time, while Katarina Johnson-Thompson of Great Britain won the silver medal with a total of 6844 points. Noor Vidts of Belgium won the bronze medal with a total of 6707 points, while Annik Kalin of Switzerland got 6639 points overall to finish in the fourth position.