We probably saw Eli's last race of his career.

I feel the same way. He seemed very calm about it which said a lot to me.
 

He already had a foot out the door and got reeled back in. I just can’t believe it happened. He’s been such a bright shooting star to watch ride the past two years. I just can’t believe it went out like that. What are the freaking odds at this race. 

Its over. He literally has zero reason to keep going. He was one foot out this season. Financially hes set. Hes raced consistently for 8 years with a few misses races. Hes going to get time home with his family hes never had. It will change you and your outlooks ala dungey after 2016. He has nothing to prove and he can go out as one of the best riders of all time. 

Did you figure that out from Google while sitting on your couch?

I really don’t think he’s returning. The earliest he could possibly return, if at all, would be 24 MX. But even that would take everything going perfectly. 25 SX is likely the earliest we could see him, if he returns at all. Achilles injuries for top athletes are generally a 12-18 month injury. For most of the general population, it’s more like 18-24 months. It’s, quite literally, the worst injury for an athlete, aside from the super obvious life threatening ones.

What a massive bummer. Just ffffs

And the purple astars boots will go down in infamy. Hell purple on gear will be gone for a generation. 

Guess stars demand for coop just went up? 

I’m just gutted for the guy. Nothing else to say.

It sure deflated the entire crowd in a moment.  All the energy just left the stadium.

Agreed, it was a huge bummer 😣

This was 2, maybe 3 ?  ,  laps prior... 

Such a bummer. Probably the worst injury an athlete could have? (Not life threatening obviously) 

Can Akers of the LA Rams ruptured his Achilles in July 2021 and was back for the playoffs in a limited capacity. They did an internal bracing method which speeds up recovery really quickly. Here is a link: https://www.thefantasyfootballers.com/articles/a-deep-dive-into-cam-ake…

Hope we see Eli race again, and hopefully not as an afterthought!

Unless he’s actually re-signed, it’d be cool if Star offered him a partial “farewell” tour for 2024, kinda like RC in 2007. No championship pressure; just go out for race wins and have fun. 

His two worst injuries were in his home races. 

I never knew Dillon was a dog lover.

He won’t race at all in 24 SX. No way will he even be ready. Earliest we will see him on a SX track is 25.

Is it confirmed to be an Achilles tendon?

I'm actually devastated for Tomac. When I first saw him rolling around I initially thought it was a bike problem because I was partially expecting that but I was shocked when I realised he hurt himself. 

An absolutely tiny error just pretty much ripped the title out of his hands, and now he is left with a bad injury. I feel especially bad for him because I feel like he doesn't get the recognition he deserves for his 2017 SX season when he would've won the title if not for a mechanical problem, and now there's a title he basically had wrapped up just gone because of a mistake so small they had to replay it 3 times for me to actually notice what happened. One of the worst possible outcomes to this title chase.

Guess we will never get to see that 1 on 1 race with Herlings.

So gutted for Eli but what a career. One of the greats!

Star has no loyalty. If he can't go like he does/did, there will be no hand outs from star/yamaha

I've had an ruptured  achilleas tendon repaired. I've also had two knee operations and a torn quadricep muscle repair. The quad happened at the same time as the achilleas injury.

Of these injuries the achilleas tendon repair took the longest to heal. It’s just a real pain in the ass for a long time. It stays "tight" for ... a long time.  I’d say a year plus. And I have access to top notch sports medicine specialists that do work for well known teams. It wasn’t any fun.

I expect to see C. Webb on a blue bike next year.

You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. I have been in cutting sports/non assisted sports (MX is an Assisted sport) at a high level and guys were back to top form in 8-12 months. Full blown training in 6.  
 

In a non cutting sport/assisted sport, you can be back on the bike and training at pretty much 100% in 6 months.
 

why do we think our sport takes longer to recover for? Same sport that you can participate in 4-5 months after a full ACL reconstruction. We’ve seen guys WIN in under 6 months post op. That’ll take you out for 12 months in any cutting sport. 
 

With stem cells and internal bracing achilles injuries aren’t what they were 20 years ago. In europe there’s guys getting people back to training 3-4 months post ruptured achilles. 

Would these have saved Eli??  Maybe buy stock in Fastway…These might jump in sales this week.

Fastway Air EXT Motorcycle Foot Pegs Kit

Here you go... this is the jig they used on mine... 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au2MKI6JH1Q

Joyful! 6 weeks in a velcro strapped boot. Just a great time. 

I feel the exact same way as you. When they showed him hit that section at race speed it didn't look like anything out of the ordinary to me. If the transition from that landing to face were not so aggressive I don't think it would have happened. It was like watching a pitcher rupture their bicep tendon and it rolls down their forearm on a pitch they have done a hundred if not thousands of times before. 

ACL is not an Achilles.

You're optimistic. That’s to be admired to a certain extent.

If you want to give the users here hope with your so called expertise then go ahead. No way will he be even close to ready for lining up at A1. That’s the reality of it, and as I said, 24 MX would be extremely unlikely.

If you’d like to revisit this thread at A1 in 24, I’ll save it to my bookmarks and quote your post to tell you I was right or I was wrong.

Ouch, heal soon champ!

Been a fan and watching him since debut, I've been harsh on him in the past only because I could see how good he could be if he figured everything out about himself and riding, to watch him finally ride to his potential these past 2 years has been a joy which makes this injury that much more sad, he finally got to where he needed to be was one race off wrapping it up only to get it ripped from you.

Would have been so much sweeter if he got his last 2 trophies and called it a day, I'm devastated. 

Pretty much the best to do it in AMA history, accolades might be not as good as some others but his riding is at the very top of what the sport has seen.

And as a selfish fan I would have loved to see what Jett could do against him now we will probably never see it.

Yup, unfortunately that’s most likely the way his career ends. Been a big fan of his for a long time so it’s very disappointing to see but he’s given us some incredible rides over the years and always kept it entertaining.

I just watched main event without knowing results... WTF! I`m far, far from Tomac fan, but that was gutwrenching. He was the best guy this year.

That’s just crazy. I’m no expert, but it doesn’t even look like he made a mistake? Just a freak accident, if you can even call it that. 

I ruptured mine and dislocated my hip in a street bike accident . The Achilles took longer to recover and never came back fully . As you said , it stayed “tight” . It isn’t a big deal but it has always felt different , I was 23 when it happened .