Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith: the queen of the track isn't hanging up her spikes

It was never supposed to end like this. Billed as potentially her last competition, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games were meant to mark the end of Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith's exceptional career. But fate had other plans, and the Ivorian sprinter, buoyed by a groundswell of support, has chosen to keep writing her story on the track.

Paris 2024: a shattered dream

On 4 August 2024, the women's 100m final at the Paris Olympics promised to be the high point of a career devoted to excellence. But after 6 seconds and 6 hundredths, what should have been a grand finale turned into a nightmare. Under the strain of her stride, her thigh gave way, forcing her to stop and pull up mid-race. The cruel injury not only ended her dream of an Olympic medal, which she had chased across three Olympic cycles, but also left Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith in deep distress.

Read more on the subject: Paris 2024: the Ta Lou-Smith curse, Imane Khelif's revenge

"After the Paris Olympics, I didn't want to do anything, I just wanted to quit because it was so many sacrifices, so much training. I had given so much of myself to receive nothing", she told Sport-Ivoire. Physically drained and emotionally exhausted, the gazelle of Bouaflé then seriously considered retirement.

Crucial support

Yet in the dark hours after her injury, Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith found unexpected and invaluable support. As she was being taken by ambulance to a Paris hospital, Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara phoned her. "He gave her enormous moral support", reveals her manager, Mamaudou Diawara.

But the President was not the only one to give her the strength to carry on. All of Côte d'Ivoire, her family and friends, her fans around the world, her team and her sponsors rallied round. "I had all the support of my team, my manager, my family and above all the whole country, which gave me that huge backing", Ta Lou-Smith explains gratefully.

Despite her initial intention to hang up her spikes after the Games, Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith eventually accepted an invitation to the Athlos meeting in New York on 27 September 2024. There, at 36, she won the 100m in emphatic style and took home a Tiffany crown, proving to everyone – and above all to herself – that she had lost none of her class.

An ambitious future all the way to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028?

A win that may seem minor, but which marked a decisive turning point. "That victory gave me my confidence back. I realised I could still compete at the highest level", she says. Backed by her staff and encouraged by her sponsors, the athlete affectionately nicknamed "Majo" has decided to prolong the pleasure: "I'll be there until 2028, by the grace of God."

Read also: Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith: 5 defining moments of a wild 2024 season

The 2025 World Championships in Tokyo and the 2027 edition in Beijing are now her next targets, stepping stones towards a final Olympic appearance at the Los Angeles Games in 2028. She will be 40 by then, yet that does not stop the Ivorian powerhouse from still hoping to win an Olympic medal, pushing back the limits of age and performance.

Such determination shows how much Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith embodies resilience and perseverance more than ever. For her fans, her peers and young African athletes, she remains a role model. Her decision to keep running is a promise: proof that the story can always be rewritten, even after the greatest disappointments.

And what if Los Angeles finally became the stage for this Ivorian icon's Olympic dream? Only time will tell, but for now, the queen of the track is determined to continue her reign.

Malick BAMBA