The win marks the first gold medal for Gabby Thomas, who took home silver and bronze in Tokyo
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Gabby Thomas has spent the last three years working toward a gold medal —and her hard work has finally paid off.
Thomas, 27, won the women’s 200-meter final at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Tuesday, Aug. 6, crossing the finish line in 21.83 seconds — 0.25 seconds faster than second place finisher Julien Afred of Saint Lucia, who won the country’s first gold on Monday in the 100-meter. Fellow American Brittney Brown took bronze behind them in a time of 22.20 seconds.
The win never looked in doubt for Thomas. Despite the lightning-fast race, she clearly pulled ahead with 100 meters to go, with no chance of anyone catching her.
“This is six years in the making at least,” Thomas told reporters at Stade de France on Tuesday, including PEOPLE. “All of it was for this moment. My coach told me everything we’ve done up until this point — Tokyo Olympics, World Championships, even my injured year 2022 — it was for this, so that I was prepared and I was mature and I was ready.”
Achieving the goal of gold, Thomas said, is “indescribable.”
“I never would have imagined in my wildest dreams that I would become an Olympic gold medalist and I am one and I’m still kind of wrapping my head around that,” she said.
The race marked the first Olympic gold for Thomas, who won both a silver and a bronze medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021. It’s the fifth gold medal for Team USA athletics this Games; Noah Lyles won gold in the men’s 100-meter, while Ryan Crouser came in first in the men’s shot put. Valarie Allman won the women’s discus throw and Cole Hocker just finished first in Olympic-record time in the men’s 1500-meters.
Thomas, who also dominated 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 2022 World Championships and had to opt out.
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“To be forced to sit that out was very difficult, but it also made me truly appreciate how important track is to me, and how much I want to do this,” she told PEOPLE in July. “I’m so thrilled to be going to Paris and to represent Team USA, feeling strong and at my best.”
The Harvard University graduate said at the time that bringing home a gold medal “would mean the world” to her, and that she was excited to have a cheer squad including her mom, dad and boyfriend in Paris supporting her.
“In 2021, I was just happy to be there, and it felt a bit unexpected,” she said. “Now, I have bigger goals for myself and I am doing everything I can to bring home the gold. I truly feel like this is a special year.”
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