Gabby Thomas is probably the happiest athlete to have participated in the Paris Olympics. And why not? She is the only track and field athlete to claim three golds at the Paris Olympics. Neither Noah Lyles, the fastest man, nor Jamaican sensation Kishane Thompson could achieve this feat. It was Gabby Thomas who earned the honor of standing tallest on the podium on three separate occasions at the Paris Olympics.

The sprinting great Allyson Felix was the last track and field athlete to achieve such a milestone. Now, Gabby Thomas has joined the elite league of Wilma Rudolph, Valerie Brisco-Hooks, Florence Griffith Joyner, and Allyson Felix—American track and field athletes who have won three gold medals at a single Olympic Games. The 27-year-old American sprinter now has a total of five Olympic medals: three golds from Paris and a silver and bronze from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

However, just a month before the Paris Olympics, the Massachusetts native set the tracks on fire with her blazing performance at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Gabby Thomas, who holds the legendary Allyson Felix as her icon, was competing against the likes of Sha’Carri Richardson. Despite the fierce competition, she surged past the finish line, clocking an impressive 21.81 in the 200m at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. That performance secured her a spot in the contingent headed for Paris, and the rest is history.

Elated with her performance, Gabby Thomas at the time expressed her enthusiasm in these words, “It’s such a unique opportunity, and any one of the girls who were on that line for the 200-meter final could have made the team, and they could be there, and they could be medal contenders. So it is really special, and I’m so glad that I have the opportunity to represent Team USA and that I fought tooth and nail to the finish. But we have an excellent lineup of women. It’s such a special moment for women’s sports right now, period, but especially in track and field. I think we’re all going to do really special things in Paris.”

Gabby Thomas truly lived up to her words, claiming gold not one but three times at the summer events.

Gabby Thomas’ phenomenal Olympics run

Gabby Thomas isn’t new to Olympic medals. She clinched a bronze in 200m and a silver in the 4×100-meter relay at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics. However, Paris is where she truly cemented her legacy. Interestingly, Thomas’s win in Paris made her the first Harvard graduate to earn a gold medal in track and field. Besides, her contributions to the 4×400 meter relay were instrumental in extending the U.S.’s dominance in the event to eight consecutive Olympic gold medals.

She first clinched the 200m gold, clocking 21.83 seconds, and pushing Julien Alfred of St. Lucia to the second spot. Continuing her brilliant run, Thomas raced through the final leg of the 4x100m relay in 41.78 seconds, helping her team secure the gold. In the 4x400m relay, Thomas’s crucial 49.30 split in the third leg set up Alexis Holmes to comfortably bring home the victory. Her story is a testament to her grit and determination, serving as a guiding light for women athletes who aspire to achieve greatness.