Gabby Thomas is headed back to the Olympics.
The New Balance athlete came in first in the 200-meter final at U.S. track trials Saturday in Eugene, Ore., with a time of 21.81 for the win. This is her second straight national title. She beat out fellow runner Sha’Carri Richardson who finished fourth in the race.
USA Track & Field, the national governing body for running sports, noted that Thomas is the second-fastest 200-meter runner the U.S. has ever seen, behind only Florence Griffith-Joyner. In 2021, at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team trials in Eugene, Ore., Thomas won the women’s 200 meters final in 21.61 seconds. It was the third-fastest time ever. The only other person who held faster times was the late Flo-Jo.
At 27, the track star already has four medals from the Olympic Games and World Championships. Next month, she has her sights set on gold in Paris.
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“I always talk about the medals for our country and winning and the attention, but you can’t just do it for that; there has to be this intrinsic desire, to go better myself, to be the best athlete I can be, to want to see improvement every day. That’s what gets me out of bed,” she told FN in a 2023 cover story.
Earlier this year, Thomas appeared onstage at The Wear House during SXSW to discuss her purpose and how she was prepping for the Summer Olympics.
“It’s not just for winning races. It’s for your own personal growth, inspiring the next generation of athletes and making a difference. When you have a bigger picture on your why, you don’t get too tied in to the pressure of having a medal,” she explained.
“Everything that I do, I try to be well intentioned and understanding that I have a following and people are looking up to me,” she said previously. “Work hard. Don’t let people put limits on you. Do what you’re passionate about and be great at it.”
