Remember the time when she was crowned as one of the world champions? Back in the 2022 World Championships, in the women’s 4×100m relay, this track and field athlete ran the second leg, delivering the fastest split among her teammates at 9.86 seconds, helping the team clock a blazing 41.14 seconds, the fifth-fastest time in history and the year’s world-leading mark. Yet she was not done.
In the women’s 4×400m relay, Abby Steiner again ran the second leg, posting a strong 49.99-second split as part of the U.S. quartet that finished in 3:17.79, another world-leading time and another gold for Team USA. But sadly, injuries and surgeries have kept her away from the track since the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. And now, she has another update.
Abby Steiner made an Instagram post captioned, “2025 so far – had a 3rd surgery on my left foot, passed the NSCA CSCS exam, and got accepted into the University of South Carolina MS in Exercise Science program. Taking a step back from running for the time being to give myself the time I need to get healthy while pursuing some other passions of mine. Very excited for this Gamecocks chapter!! ”
Ever since 2024, the track and field athlete has been more in the hospital than on the track.
In mid-2023, Abby ended her season early due to a bone spur in her left heel that was pressing against her Achilles tendon, causing significant pain. This required surgical removal to relieve the pressure. Then, after competing in the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, Abby experienced worsening foot problems. A follow-up MRI (her third of the season) revealed a recurrence of the bone spur on her left heel and, critically, a partial tear of her Achilles tendon.
This forced her to withdraw from further competition and undergo her second surgery. Her injuries keep delaying her comeback. It’s sad to see an athlete of her caliber sitting at home, while the Tokyo World Championship is just right around the corner.
With the elite records she has had, it would have been a sight to see her race.
Abby Steiner and the records she made
Abby Steiner has been a record maker since she has been on the track.
In December 2021, she broke the NCAA indoor 300m record at the Cardinal Classic when she ran a time of 35.80 seconds and secured her name in the NCAA records after she broke a 40-year-old record set by Merlene Ottey. She became one of the fastest women in NCAA track history, setting a new NCAA outdoor 200m record a few months later in the 2022 NCAA Championships, with a time of 21.80 seconds.
Furthering her reign, Steiner broke the American indoor record in the 200m runs in the 2022 SEC Indoor Championships, 22.09, becoming the second-fastest indoor runner of 200m in history, second only to the world record of Merlene Ottey. In 2023 at the Millrose Games, she set a new American indoor 300m record of 35.54 seconds, beating the previous mark of 35.71m held by Quanera Hayes.
So, we cannot wait for her to recover as fast as possible and show her magic on track once again…
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