Australia's Sam Kerr To Miss Paris 2024 Olympics Due To Knee Injury

GOSFORD, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 15: Sam Kerr of the Matildas strikes the ball during the International ... [+] Friendly match between the Australia Matildas and Thailand at Central Coast Stadium on November 15, 2022 in Gosford, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Australia's prolific striker and captain Sam Kerr will not play at the women’s football tournament at the Paris Olympics as she continues her recovery from a serious knee injury, Football Australia announced on Tuesday.

Kerr’s participation at the Paris Games had been under doubt after the 30-year-old ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during a training camp in Morocco with her club Chelsea. In March, Kerr’s father Roger told ABC Radio that she was “definitely” out of the running for the 2024 Games.

Football Australia had not confirmed Kerr’s unavailability until Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson on Tuesday announced a 23-member squad for their pre-Olympic friendlies against China, leaving out Kerr.

The governing body said that Kerr, Australia’s all-time top scorer with 69 goals in 128 appearances, would continue her rehabilitation program in her home club environment and would be unavailable for selection for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Sam Kerr is Australia's all-time leading goal scorer. (Photo by Tony Feder/Getty Images)

The statement added that the Matildas would also be without attacker Amy Sayer (ACL) for the Summer Olympics. The latest squad, however, saw the return of defenders Clare Hunt and Courtney Nevin and goalkeeper Lydia Williams.

Gustavsson said the 23-member squad was a strong guide to his final Olympic lineup, but some omitted players, like injured midfielders Katrina Gorry and Aivi Luik, could come into consideration.

“I think everyone can do the math here and understand that obviously the Olympic roster will be based mostly out of those that are in this upcoming May/June camp,” Gustavsson said.

“However, we also have some players in Katrina (Gorry) and Aivi (Luik) unavailable for selection for this window but most likely will be physically available to be part of an Olympic roster. 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.”

“We want to use this camp to summarize the evolved playing style we have built upon in the last couple of months. To go back to what we did at last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup and the core things we did well there and then add the layers we have worked on since.

“Then we will see if we can get more of a complete overview of where we are positioned, work on nuances and details and get some answers of where are we and what do we need to keep working on come the Olympics,” Gustavsson concluded.

Sam Kerr played a limited role in Australia's Women's World Cup campaign last year because of a calf ... [+] strain. (Photo by Mark Avellino/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

This is the second time in a row that injuries have impacted Kerr’s participation in a major tournament.

Kerr spent most of her time on the bench during the 2023 Women’s World Cup, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, after she picked up a calf strain.

The talismanic striker was expected to play a major role for Australia at the Paris Games after they missed out on a medal at the 2021 edition in Tokyo but will be forced to watch her team from the sidelines.

Australia will play friendlies against Asian Cup champions China on May 31 and June 3 in Adelaide and Sydney respectively before they travel to Paris for the July-August Olympics, where they will bid for their first Olympic medal after making the semifinals of the World Cup on home soil last year.

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