Gabby Thomas’ 32-Year-Old Rival Drops Absolute Shocker At Los Angeles GP Months After US Track And Field Team Fail

English Gardner has shocked the hot favorites at the Los Angeles GP. Touted as the arch-rival of track sensation Gabby Thomas, the 32-year-old has made a comeback of sorts recently. Competing at the recently held LA GP, Gardner was anything but the favorite. The event consisted of big names like Lanae Tava Thomas, Abby Steiner, and Gabby Thomas. However, going against all the odds, Gardner clinched the victory to go one-up against Gabby Thomas. 

While Thomas clocked a timing of 11.42s, Gardner ran away with the gold, running the 100m in just 11.22s. Soon after the conclusion of the race, the Track & Field Gazette mentioned on X, “English Gardner 🇺🇸 wins the women’s 100m B final at the USATF LA Grand Prix in a time of 11.22s (0.0). Abby Steiner 🇺🇸 could only manage 11.32s in 3rd, while Gabby Thomas 🇺🇸 was 4th in 11.42s.” 

Destiny Smith-Barnett finished second with a time of 11.27s while Abby Steiner picked up the third spot running 11.32s. Unfortunately, the much-hyped Jamaican, Lanae Tava Thomas, did not start as she was forced to sit out of the event. While the underperformance of Gabby Thomas is surely a concern, the victory of Gardner is an absolute shocker.

It was a day of disappointment for English Gardner who failed to qualify for the US 100m final ten months back. Competing at the 2023 USATF Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Gardner seemed dejected as she was being interviewed by FloTrack after the event. 

English Gardner shocks Gabby Thomas

An emotional English Gardner appeared in front of the camera as she missed out on a golden opportunity last year. Following her heartbreak, Gardner opened up about her woes. She stated, “It’s another loss this year so I gotta like eat that you know what I’m saying.” However, amidst her forlorn words, a ray of hope flickered as Gardner mentioned, “But God is good… I’m healthy… I’m alive… I’m able to still fight another day.” 

And well, the 32-year-old did make a grand comeback ahead of the Paris Olympics. The result was even more shocking because Gardner has usually been on the receiving end of Gabby Thomas in a tournament. For instance, when the duo met at the US Track & Field trials back in 2021, Gabby Thomas qualified with a time of 10.95s. She beat Gardner with a whisker while clocking 10.96s. 

But fighting back and making a comeback seems to be in Gardner’s genes. Ahead of the Rio Olympics in 2016, Gardner suffered from acute depression. Competing in the heat, the 32-year-old athlete felt tremors while in the middle of her run. The extreme panic led to her suffering from breathlessness, almost costing her the Olympic berth. However, she managed to come out of the situation and clinch her place in the Olympics by clocking 10.74s. Thus, it seems that English Gardner has the fighting genes inside of her and her latest antics were a mere testament of the same.