Heptathlete Anna Hall Trusts God’s Timing Amid 2024 Olympics Prep
By Movieguide® Contributor
Heptathlete Anna Hall keeps her focus on God amid losses and injuries as she looks ahead to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Hall landed a silver medal at the World Championships last week in Budapest, leaving her disappointed and grateful.
After the race, Hall expressed, “I went for it. Very bittersweet. I really wanted gold and I just fought my heart out and it just wasn’t there this year for me. Kat was just better today, and I got beat.”
Hall shared on X, “It’s possible to be heartbroken and thankful at the same time. I love this sport. Thanks for all the love xx.”
its possible to be heartbroken and thankful at the same time 💔❤️🔥
i love this sport.
thanks for all the love xx— Anna Hall (@annaahalll) August 20, 2023
A heptathlete competes in seven track and field events, including 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200m sprint, long jump, javelin throw and 800m distance run.
CBN News reported, “Although the finish was a disappointment to her, the silver medalist has become the second American woman in history to earn a heptathlon medal at more than one world championship. It puts her name beside three-time Olympic gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee.”
Joyner-Kersee was in Budapest, Hungary, during the competition.
“What I see are all the tools to rewrite the record books,” Joyner-Kersee said of Hall. “You’re seeing greatness in motion without even knowing the greatness is before you, because of her natural ability. When you see Anna compete, she competes with joy.”
Hall’s trajectory as a competitor hasn’t been easy.
At the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials, she broke her foot and sustained other injuries.
“I hyperextended my knee, had a little bit of a PCL injury and bone bruise – not ideal two weeks out from the world championships,” Hall explained. “We did everything we could through all the treatments and rehabs, and I thought I was ready to go, and by no means can I expect anything less than gold for myself.”
However, she thanks God for the injury as it changed her mindset on her sport.
“The injury was a really big inflection point in my career,” she told Olympics.com. “I honestly don’t think I would have done what I did last year had I not gotten injured. As much as it hurt and I was so upset and I cried for months and I felt so bad for myself, I really think, honestly, that was God’s way of showing me, ‘OK, you need to change the way you’re looking at track.'”
“I would say that I’m actually thankful for [the injury],” Hall continued. “I think it just made last year just a really great story that a lot of other people have told me they were able to relate to… or that it helped them get through an injury. And so that’s been really, really special to me.”
The athlete has been open about her faith in the past. Her Instagram bio reads, “follower of Christ,” and she frequently concludes her posts with “#Histiming.”
In a recent post, the newly pro heptathlete wrote, “…& thats a wrap on my rookie year. I will cherish this year forever. 57 events, 26 pbs (!!), 3 USA titles, American record, Gotzis crown, & World Championships silver. Competed in my first ever diamond league meet (x3), first street meet, and hit 6 new countries along the way. Most importantly I had fun & learned SO much. Excited for some much needed rest… I hear next year is pretty important. #Histiming”
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