By American sprinter Gabby Thomas secured a long-awaited Olympic gold medal in the women’s 200-meter final at the Paris Games, delivering a dominant performance that showcased her speed and determination. Thomas, who had previously won bronze in Tokyo, outpaced a formidable field that included 100-meter gold medalist Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia.
Thomas crossed the finish line in an impressive 21.83 seconds, cementing her status as one of the sport’s elite athletes. The 27-year-old Harvard graduate’s victory marks the first time an American woman has won the event since Allyson Felix’s triumph in 2012.
Julien Alfred, fresh off her historic 100m victory that earned Saint Lucia its first Olympic medal, claimed silver with a time of 22.08 seconds. The United States secured another podium finish as Brittany Brown captured the bronze medal, clocking in at 20.20 seconds.
The race, which began with a dazzling light show at Stade de France, saw Thomas in control from start to finish. After crossing the line, she broke into a wide smile of disbelief, her hands on her head as the reality of her achievement sank in.
“Honestly, I kind of blanked out for all of it, I can’t even remember what I was doing, I just wanted to win,” Thomas said post-race. “The only moment I remember was crossing the finish line and being in disbelief, that was it.”
Thomas’s victory was foreshadowed by her dominant performance in the semi-finals, where she effortlessly pulled away from the field in the final 50 meters. Her season-best time of 21.78, the world’s fastest this year, had already marked her as the one to beat.
The newly crowned Olympic champion, who holds a degree in neurobiology and a Master’s in public health, described the race as a blur, saying she was on “autopilot” throughout. “I was just on autopilot, but I practiced for it, everything that I did up until that moment was to prepare myself to run that race, so I just knew how to do it, so I did it,” she explained.
For Alfred, the silver medal added to her groundbreaking performance in the 100m. “I’m tired. Long five days,” she told reporters. “This means a lot. First Olympics, to go back with gold and silver, I can’t ask for more than that.”
The British duo of Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita finished fourth and fifth respectively, with Asher-Smith missing out on a medal by a mere two hundredths of a second. Notably absent from the final was Jamaica’s reigning world champion Shericka Jackson, who withdrew from the heats due to injury.
As Thomas celebrates her victory, her focus on the finer things in life remains evident. “I was only able to have one bite of the famous croissant cookie you guys have here, so I’m gonna go get one tomorrow,” she quipped, balancing her athletic achievement with a touch of Parisian indulgence.
This golden performance not only cements Thomas’s place in Olympic history but also continues the strong tradition of American excellence in women’s sprinting, setting the stage for future generations of athletes to follow in her footsteps.
