The 26-year-old American underwent surgery last month to address shoulder and knee problems and will not be ready in time for the US World Team Trials in Las Vegas in April.

As a result she has instead decided to focus on earning a spot on the 2018 World Championship team.

"When I come back, I want to be prepared to step on the mat and be where I was competitively before my injury," Gray said.

Gray won 67 kilograms gold at the 2012 World Championships in Strathcona in Canada and then won the 75kg title in Uzbekistan's capital Tashkent in 2014.

A year later, she defended the title at the heavier weight on home soil in Las Vegas.

In addition to her three titles, Gray has also won two bronze medals at World Championships.

She injured her shoulder in July while training for the Olympic Games in Rio, but still went on to compete in the Brazilian city in August.

An adjusted training schedule and dedicated medical support helped her to the quarter-finals of the 75kg competition, where she lost to Vasilisa Marzaliuk of Belarus.

Gray won gold at the Bill Farrell Memorial International in New York City in November, but opted for surgery when it became apparent that the shoulder problem was still persisting.

At the same time, the 2015 Pan American Games champion chose to undergo a procedure to address a torn meniscus in one of her knees. 

The 2018 World Championships will be held in Hungary's capital Budapest.

This year's event will be held in Paris between August 21 and 27.