After showing she was the woman to beat with the quickest time in Sunday morning’s preliminary round, Gabby Thomas didn’t give anyone the chance as she secured Olympic gold in the women’s 200-meter final on Tuesday. The 27-year-old took bronze in Tokyo and silver in last year’s world championships, but she was in control throughout this year’s final, coming home in 21.83 seconds.
The Northampton native and former Harvard star becomes the seventh American woman to claim gold in the 200 meters and the first since Allyson Felix in 2012. In the women’s 200, Thomas got off to a quick start, took the lead for good at the curve, and was never challenged in the final stretch. She was emotional as soon as she crossed the finish line, grabbing her head with both hands after winning.
GABBY THOMAS WINS GOLD IN THE WOMEN'S 200M 🏅 pic.twitter.com/vlhiSa2xoK — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 6, 2024 Julien Alfred , who claimed Saint Lucia’s first Olympic medal when she won the 100m on Saturday, was a clear second in 22.
08, with Brittany Brown taking bronze for the US in 20.20. Thomas entered as the favorite, especially after reigning world champion Shericka Jackson of Jamaica withdrew earlier on Sunday, less than a month after suffering an injury in a tune-up meet in Hungary.
The dominating runner from the event’s semifinals with a time of 21.86 seconds, has had her eyes on the prize for the past few years, especially after she tore her hamstring ahead of the 2.