Nafi Thiam Withdraws from Heptathlon at World Championships in Tokyo
Belgium’s triadic Olympic champion Nafi Thiam has surprisingly withdrawn from the heptathlon at the World Crowns after a disappointing launch on Saturday.
The 31- time-old, who claimed world titles in 2017 and 2022, plodded in the long jump, failing to clear six metres in her two legal attempts.
After the morning session, she stood in eighth place, a hefty 377 points behind the competition leader, Anna Hall.
Reports from multiple Belgian media outlets verified that Thiam was pulled from the remainder of the event by her trainer ahead of the pikestaff and 800 metres listed for the evening.
She did not appear at the National Stadium when the evening session began, officially marked as “Did Not Start.”
3x Olympic Champion Nafi Thiam pulls out of the women’s heptathlon at the Tokyo 2025 World Championships!
She has been embroiled in a feud with the Belgian Athletics Federation because:
❌ Her physio was denied accreditation, forcing her to get treatment outside the training… pic.twitter.com/0aUYf0e0W9
— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) September 20, 2025
“I’ve struggled with this heptathlon from the start. I tried to fight it and persevere, but it clearly didn’t work,” a tearful Thiam told Het Nieuwsblad after the morning session.
“I started this morning thinking I would fight until the end and not leave empty-handed because I’ve worked hard this year …
“I knew I could do something good here and fight for my place in the standings, but that didn’t happen. So I’m disappointed, yes. This championship is a real black cloud.”
Thiam’s crusade in 2025 had formerly been limited, hampered by a turbulent figure-up to the crowns.
A public disagreement with the Belgian calisthenics confederation over image rights added pressure, with Thiam claiming rejection from the pre-championships camp, a claim denied by the confederation.
Asked if the controversy affected her performance in Tokyo, Thiam admitted: “It’s hard to quantify that. Regardless of the reasons why I feel the way I do, the reality remains that I feel the way I do. So that doesn’t make a difference.”
This marks a rare reversal for the Belgian megastar, who hadn’t been beaten in competition since the 2019 World Crowns.
Suckers and observers likewise were left stupefied by her early exit, pressing just how changeable elite sports can be, indeed, for an athlete of Thiam’s class.
