Gold for Gabby: Dominant 200m victory ensures Thomas’ first Olympic crown

Gold is Gabby’s, at last.

Gabby Thomas surged to victory the women’s 200m final on Tuesday night in Paris, winning wire-to-wire in 21.83 seconds. In the process, she has claimed her Olympic gold medal. Thomas led from the gun and finished with daylight between her and silver medalist Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia, who won 100m gold on Saturday.

“I’m really in disbelief because having an Olympic gold medal is something in my wildest dreams,” Thomas said. “But at the same time I know how hard I’ve fought for it. This has been six years in the making, head down, working hard.

This is the happiest moment of my life.

Thomas is joined on the medal podium by U.S. teammate Brittany Brown, who earned bronze for her first Olympic medal. Brown entered Paris with only one world medal (a silver from 2019 Worlds), and her 22.20-second dash around the purple Stade de France track has now added an Olympic bronze to her docket.

RACE RESULTS

For the race’s emphatic victor, Thomas, this win comes after a string of falling short of gold in major title races. At the Tokyo Olympics, she took bronze. In her next big-ticket race, 2023 Worlds, it was a silver. Now in Paris, she’s got her gold.

From the moment she landed in the City of Light, Thomas was the clear woman to beat. The withdrawal of Jamaican rival Shericka Jackson only ballooned that target.

“There’s definitely some added pressure going into this Olympics,” Thomas told NBC Olympics. “Once you’ve already had success, people are kind of waiting for you to mess up.”

With expectations fully mounted, Thomas didn’t mess up — not even close. From the moment the starting pistol was fired, she was in charge.

“I just knew that I had it,” she said moments after her gold-winning run. “It was a confidence that you can’t really describe. Of course there was pressure, but I felt confident.”

The Paris Olympic title secures the 14th gold medal for the U.S. in the Olympic women’s 200m, which breaks a 13-13 tie with Jamaica for the most in history (no Jamaican earned a 200m medal this year for the first time since 1976). And Thomas is the first American since Allyson Felix in 2012 to strike gold in the women’s event.

The 27-year-old has endeared herself to the American public not just with her command of the track, but also with her extraordinary public health work. She volunteers weekly at a Volunteer Healthcare Clinic (VHC) in Austin, Texas, which provides primary care to children and adults without access to such care.

“A lot of people can say they want to do things, but Gabby is actually doing this work at a high level,” said the clinic’s Director of Volunteer Services, Laura Hurst. “I don’t think you can underestimate the power of what one person can do.”

With a Harvard degree in neurobiology and global health, plus a master’s in epidemiology from the University of Texas, Thomas is a safe bet to impact public health for decades after she stops running professionally.

“It’s so fulfilling because we’re actually making a direct impact and these are people who really do have a need for healthcare,” Thomas said.