Gabby Thomas Proves Ditching Double Spots on Team USA Vital to Secure Potential Gold at Paris Olympics

Gabby Thomas just added yet another feather to her already decorated cap moments ago. At the ongoing US Olympic Track and Field Team Trials in Oregon, the 27-year-old crushed all competition in the women’s 200m final race to secure her spot in the national team. The University of Texas star set her eyes on putting all efforts into securing her spot in Team USA for the 200m event, and it looks like her gamble has paid off splendidly.

In Eugene, Thomas crossed the finishing line in 21.81 seconds, leaving behind the likes of Sha’Carri Richardson in the dust. Now, as she looks to turn her Olympic bronze medal from three years ago into gold in Paris, fans can rest assured that Thomas knows her abilities more than the armchair experts.

When Gabby’s decision to scratch the 400m event from her to-do list came to the fore, fans weren’t at all happy. Some even went to the extent of accusing Thomas of giving fans false hope when she knew that her capacity to run the longer distance wasn’t that great. However, as the official website of the USATF shows, Thomas has just silenced critics with her breakneck speed at the final race of the event.

However, something like this doesn’t seem to be too much of a surprise considering how, only yesterday, Gabby gave hints of what was to come. In the semi-final race, Gabby put forth a thundering 21.78-second finish to pick up the world lead in the women’s 200m race. Naturally, going even lower in the final race was the only way forward for Gabby and did she make the most of the opportunity!

With Gabby securing her spot in her second-straight Olympic Games, it remains to be seen if her triumphs on home soil can also be replicated on the banks of the Seine and on the biggest stage of the sporting world in August. However, her ambitions are certainly not over with the Paris Games.

Gabby Thomas’ responsibilities post-Olympics

Thomas already has her schedule packed after the Olympics. Right after the big rumble concludes, Thomas will take to tracks as part of Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian’s ambitious project: the 776 Invitational. The women-only track tournament will also offer a large amount of prize money for the top eight finishers, keeping parity with Ohanian’s efforts to empower women track athletes in every way possible. Gabby was one of the first athletes from the US who extended their helping hands to Serena Williams’ venture capitalist husband Ohanian and has been involved with the meet’s planning process from the very beginning.

Gabby, for one, has never been afraid to take up new challenges on her journey to stardom in the track world. In January, she noted how the “boring” aspects of the sport help the athletes to prepare for one singular moment of great triumph and etch their names among the elites. However, it looks like she traded the boring for the thrills on track, albeit focusing on only one event for Paris.