How does it feel to race so hard that you “black out”? Gabby Thomas admitted her 200m victory amidst a bellowing 80,000-strong crowd at State de France on Tuesday was a blur. Yet, her 21.83 clocking time meant redemption for Team USA, as she defeated Julien Alfred who put 100m favorite Sha’Carri Richardson in shade just last Friday.

And guess what, her finals sprint had just a mere difference of 0.02 seconds registered at the U.S. Olympic trials. She’s undoubtedly in her peak form, catching NFL legend Shannon Sharpe’s attention. He urged Team USA to make a bold move by including her in the 4x400m relay race. An excited Sharpe went as far as saying, “Gabby is a dog and she will fight.” But wait, 4x400m, a pro-longed relay event, certainly doesn’t fall under Gabby’s expertise, or does it?

On the Nightcap podcast on YouTube, Shannon Sharpe made his offer about his hypothetical team, “If I was in the Team USA, I’m putting my a**  on 4x400m. I’m gonna make sure her [Gabby Thomas] and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, they’re both on that team. I’m putting her on there.” And that’s when he made his bold claim with a straight face, “She can run sub 50.” Sharpe didn’t come to the podcast not having done the homework. Remember the Austin meet from last year?

The Harvard graduate ran a 49.68-second personal best to win a gold at a low-key event at the Mike A. Myers Stadium, Texas. This had inevitably put her ahead of Britton Wilson’s best outdoor outing (49.51 sec) in the 400m event till that time of the year, only for Wilson to set the record straight again (49.13 sec) just one month later. There was a buzz then of the possibility of Thomas moving up but she played it quite casually when the Olympic gold medalist celebrated the win later that day, “I wanted to see where my fitness was before we head into the Diamond League season.”

Co-host Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson interrupted Sharpe with his own understanding, “Matter of fact, if anything, because she’s so good, I don’t know if 400 is her expertise, but I would put her on first leg. Just to open up everything. Just open it up, they get us a lead.”

Sharpe, however, had a clear vision for her: It doesn’t matter “which leg.” “Gabby is a dog and she will fight, so even if that’s not her specialty, it is her specialty. Her specialty is winning and  I want her and what she has in her, on that team,” he mentioned. Yes, but to put things into perspective, Gabby hasn’t raced the same event to produce a sub-50 since 2023, and stands at a lowly P75 in the 400m records of all-time, sharing the spot with the USA’s 2024 400m Paris Olympic qualifier Shamier Little.

In fact, although she qualified for the 400m event with a clocking time of 50.37 at the trials, she won’t be the favorite going into the Olympic event. The top sprinters in the USA trials boast Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (48.74), Kaylyn Brown (49.13), Shamier Little (49.68), Rosaline Effiong (49.72), and Aaliyah Butler (49.79).      

He continued to support Gabby, stating, “Out of four women that can run sub 50, yeah, we have about six women over there that can all run sub 50.” True, the sixth name missing from Olympic qualifiers for this event apart from the top-5 mentioned above is Talitha Diggs who barely crawled her way to register a sub-50. 49.93 seconds, to be precise.

Sharpe mentioned that Sydney McLaughlin can go sub-48 and explained why he wants Gabby on the team. Thomas won two medals at the Tokyo 2020 Games: a silver in the 4x100m relay and a bronze in the 200m sprint. Shannon Sharpe directly asked coach Mike to put Gabby on the 4×4. He said, “We know she’s gonna run third leg, right, because she can run the curb. She’s a 200-meter specialist, so she can run the hell out the curb. So I want her.” 

It is most unlikely that Gabby will be participating in the 400m events (individual and/or team), but Sha’Carri Richardson’s silver win in the 100m event (10.87 sec) did disappoint many. Much can be owed to the fact that her race starts, irrespective of the heat or the final events, weren’t the bests we have seen from her in the past. But her acceleration toward the end of the stretch saved her chase for an Olympic medal both times. Now, both Gabby and Sha’Carri has another chance to avenge that 100m defeat in the 4x100m relay on August 9, if they qualify for the finals.

Sprint showdown: Gabby Thomas vs. Sha’Carri Richardson

At the US Olympic track and field trials, the expectation was a memorable contest between Sha’Carri Richardson and Gabby Thomas in the 200m final. Four days after the reigning 100m world champion soared to victory in her marquee event at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Richardson was back on the track for the 200m. On Thursday, June 27, Richardson was the only woman in the first round of the 200m to clock a sub-22, finishing with a time of 21.99 seconds. She won the gold medal in that round. Last year, she took the world bronze in this event and was 0.12 seconds faster than Gabby Thomas, who earned silver. Thomas won her heat in 22.11 seconds. 

Both women eased off in the home straight, moving into the semis as the runners to beat. Richardson told NBC about her strategy, saying confidently, “It’s about execution.” She was focusing on the curve at that event.

Although Richardson garners more attention in the 100m, their encounters at the U.S. Olympic Trials and Diamond League meets are always notable. Richardson triumphed in the 100m at the 2023 U.S. Championships with 10.82 seconds, while Thomas’s best of 21.60 seconds makes her exceptional over 200m. 

After securing her spot at the World Championship in Budapest, Thomas told the BBC, “Every time we step on the track, we have to expect that our competitors are going to just bring it,” reflecting her preparation for the games. Thomas’s coach, Kebba Tolbert, praised her constant effort, calling her “very talented” and “very, very driven.” With Thomas potentially competing in the 400m relay, will her inclusion benefit Team USA? What’s your thought on it? Let us know in the comments section below!