Linda Keesman Suffers Partial UCL Tear Overhead Squatting, Out for 2026 Games

A partial UCL tear with avulsion suffered while overhead squatting has taken Linda Keesman out of the early CrossFit Open and put her 2026 Games pursuit on hold, with Keesman unable to post a score for 26.1. That competitive consequence was reported alongside the injury details in coverage following Keesman’s March 02, 2026 Instagram post.

Keesman addressed the leaderboard directly in her Instagram post on March 02, 2026: “You won’t see my name on the leaderboard tonight and I feel so so sad rn [sic] but I’m doing everything I can to come back stronger!! Thankfully I’ll have the opportunity to show that later this year @worldfitnessproject and some other comps. 👀” The post included a photo credited to Linda Keesman taken the same day.

She followed that with a short, determined update on rehab: “Allll the rehab has started, challenge accepted!!!” Those lines are the athlete’s own words as reproduced from her March 02 Instagram update.

Reporting that summarized the medical picture used the phrase “partial UCL tear with avulsion” to describe the diagnosis and confirmed the mechanism as occurring “while overhead squatting recently.” The same coverage emphasized the immediate competitive impact: because Keesman will not post a score for 26.1 of the 2026 CrossFit Open, her Games season is described as over before it began.

The Barbell Spin’s coverage placed the injury into a common rehabilitation framework, noting that “A Grade 2 (partial) UCL tear typically has a 2-3 month recovery time for non-surgical rehabilitation with those athletes returning to full speed in 3-6 months.” That report also cautioned that “The avulsion fracture could add to the recovery timeframe,” a factor that could extend Keesman’s timeline beyond typical Grade 2 expectations.

On the competition calendar, Keesman’s Instagram mentions “later this year @worldfitnessproject and some other comps,” and the coverage offered a conditional comeback target: “If everything goes well she could be back out there for WFP Tour Stop 2 in the end of August.” That projection is presented as contingent on recovery and rehabilitation progress rather than as a confirmed entry.

Keesman’s March 02, 2026 Instagram post supplied the athlete’s direct quotes and emotional context, and subsequent reporting supplemented those quotes with medical timing and a conditional August target. Next reporting will seek confirmation of imaging and treatment details, whether surgery is advised, and Keesman’s formal entry plans for World Fitness Project Tour Stop 2 and other late-2026 competitions.