Olympic hammer champion Anita Wlodarczyk will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery for a thigh injury she sustained while chasing a thief trying to break into her car.

The three-time Olympic gold medallist from Poland wrote on Instagram that she “totally severed” a thigh muscle during the incident last week, but remains intent on competing at the 2024 Paris Games.

She had posted a photo on Twitter on Friday flexing her muscles in front of her car, writing that she had chased down a thief who tried to break into the vehicle and turned the person over to police – but that she had been injured in the process.

After her surgery, the 36-year-old said she still has “great motivation” to win her fourth Olympic gold in Paris in 2024.

“I will do everything to come back to the circle next year and give you plenty of joy,” she wrote.