Australia striker Sam Kerr has officially been ruled out of the 2024 Paris Olympics as she recovers from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear.
Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson, while announcing the squad for Australia’s pre-Olympics friendlies, confirmed that Kerr would not be back in time for the Games in July.
Kerr, arguably Australia’s most prominent sports icon, holds the record as the nation’s all-time leading goalscorer.
She joins a growing list of high-profile female footballers, including England captain Leah Williamson and Dutch striker Vivianne Miedema, who have suffered ACL injuries. It typically takes professional athletes at least nine months to return to fitness after such surgery.
The Matildas have faced a challenging lead-up to the Olympics, with several key players sidelined by injuries.
Midfielder Katrina Gorry is recovering from ankle surgery, defender Clare Hunt is dealing with a foot fracture, and veteran Aivi Luik has a hamstring injury. Additionally, young midfielder Amy Sayer tore her ACL last month and has been ruled out of the Olympics.
Before the send-off matches against China, coach Tony Gustavsson acknowledged that selecting the 18-strong Olympic squad had become a complex task, with some hopefuls racing against time to return to the field.
“This window will be a tough one for me and my staff in terms of evaluating players, where they are, and then the final selection process for Paris,” he said.
Kerr was anticipated to be a key player in the Matildas’ medal campaign in Paris, following their near-podium finish at the previous Olympics in Tokyo and their strong showing at the World Cup in Australia last year.
Since joining Chelsea in 2020, Kerr has won five consecutive Women’s Super League titles, three Women’s FA Cups, two Women’s League Cups, and the Women’s Community Shield.
She has scored 99 goals for Chelsea and 64 for Australia, and has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or Féminin—the highest honor in women’s football—every year since its inception in 2018.
However, the past 12 months have been challenging for Kerr. She spent much of the home World Cup sidelined with a calf strain, and shortly after her ACL injury, was charged in January with racially aggravated harassment of a London police officer, to which she has pleaded not guilty.