SAINT-DENIS, France — The last time Gabby Thomas was at the Olympics, she was mostly there to have a good time. Then 24 years old, Thomas was competing in her first Games and learning on the fly.
But in Paris, she came for gold. And Tuesday night, she got it.
In a rocking Stade de France bursting with more than 77,000 screaming fans, Thomas won the women’s 200-meter final, sprinting to the finish in 21.83.
Thomas, 27, beat Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia (22.08) and Team USA’s Brittany Brown (22.20) who got silver, and bronze, respectively.Alfred won the 100 on Sunday evening, earning her country’s first-ever medal.
Thomas was in the lead as runners came around the curve, and looked in control the whole race. Her joy was evident as soon as she crossed the line first, screaming in celebration and overcome with emotion.
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“I’ve envisioned this race in my head so many times over and over, as I do with every race,” said a beaming Thomas. “That’s how I win races. But I did not expect to feel how I felt when I crossed that line. You prepare for this moment and train so hard for this moment but when it actually comes, it’s indescribable.
“I never would have imagined in my wildest dreams that I would become an Olympic gold medalist and I am one. I’m still wrapping my head around that.”
Her secret to that strong, steady finish: pre-race burpees. Seriously.
American McKenzie Long, who finished seventh (22.42), couldn’t believe it when Thomas started hopping up and down in the call room.
Long wasn’t sure of Thomas’ reasoning but said “I’m gonna ask her.”
“I do it before every race in the call room, I do 10 because I need to keep my heart rate up,” Thomas said sheepishly. “It is really embarrassing but it clearly works."
It is Thomas’ second individual Olympic medal. She has a bronze from the Tokyo Olympics 200 final, as well as a silver from the 4x100 relay. She is expected to run on the 4x100 relay team in Paris, too.She said Tuesday that she also wants to run in the 4x400.
It is also her first gold medal at any major world championship. Last year, at the 2023 World Championships, she took silver in the 200.
“This is my favorite win, obviously,” Thomas said. “This is six years in the making. All of it was for this moment … I was prepared and mature and I was ready. It’s incredible.”
At the U.S. track and field trials in Eugene, Oregon, Thomas said she thought hard about running the 200 and 400, but decided to focus on the 200 because she was so intent on winning gold in Paris. After she won the 200 title, she said she had no doubt she’d made the right decision.
The women’s 200 marked the second race of the day where Team USA won a gold and bronze after Cole Hocker’s shocking kick that led to a 1,500 men’s victory. American Yared Nuguse took bronze in that race.
Thomas joked afterward that she was so in the zone at the line “I blacked out for the race.”
“I knew what I wanted to do: take the lead and finish strong,” she said. “It’s kind of like tunnel vision at that point. I got out of the blocks and I couldn’t tell you where anyone was. But I knew I was ready, I knew I trained for this. It’s the most bizarre feeling when you get into a flow … I wasn’t thinking about anything but getting to the finish line. As far as I was concerned, I was the only one in that race.”
In a sport desperate for star power, particularly as the U.S. prepares to host the 2028 Olympics in LA, Thomas oozes charisma. She delivers in pressure-packed environments, too, ideal for someone who could be the poster child of not only her event, but one of the most popular Olympic sports.
As far as her competitors are concerned, she’s exactly what track needs.
Said Long, who has gushed repeatedly about how much she admires Thomas: “She’s the female that needs to be in front of the track world.”
Tuesday night in Paris, she was.
Email Lindsay Schnell at lschnell@usatoday.com and follow her on social media@Lindsay_Schnell
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