“This is six years in the making at least, all of it was for this moment.” – Gabby Thomas has finally clinched her maiden Olympic gold amidst a thunderous cheer from the crowds in Stade de France. Starting in lane 7 for the 200m, the 27-year-old blazed past her fiercest contender, Julien Alfred. As soon as she crossed the finish line, she knew she had it. With tears streaming down her face, she looked up for a glimpse at her time—21.83 seconds.

Everyone remembers watching her complete the podium on the iconic red tracks of the Olympic Stadium in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games. However, getting to that point was no easy feat for her. Even though she kept up appearances with her bright smile and fun demeanor, something darker was looming underneath. After pushing herself through a sudden health scare and sitting out of an entire season due to an injury, she had finally achieved her Olympic dream.

In her post-race interview, Gabby Thomas opens up about what went behind making this her reality. “We are so happy, I can’t believe it. I mean I spoke it into existence,” she stated beaming. Even though Alfred and the American had the fastest qualifying time in the semi-finals, this could be anyone’s game. The 27-year-old gained on the Saint Lucian, increasing the gap with every confident stride. The Monaco Diamond League winner trailed behind her, crossing the finish line in 22.08 seconds. Thomas’ compatriot, Brittany Brown completed the podium with 22.20 seconds on the clock.

The American continued, “I know I trained really hard for it, and it’s such an indescribable feeling.” As soon as she realized she was on the top of the podium, she took an additional lap hugging her competitors before she draped the red, white, and blue around her. She was then asked what it feels like after all of she put in towards this dream. “We didn’t want this [Paris] to be my first Olympics. We wanted Tokyo to be the first one to train and be prepared for the Paris Olympics to go for the gold this year.” However, before she could even make it to the Japanese capital, her world suddenly fell apart.

Gabby Thomas was all set to nab a spot on the Tokyo-bound team at the Olympic Trials. But before she could do that, she wanted answers regarding a hamstring pain that continued to bother her. An MRI revealed a tumor on her liver, but undeterred she decided to get a few more tests done just to be sure. Even though she was beside herself, she continued to train for her biggest test yet. Much to her relief, the tests came back benign just before she set foot in the historic Hayward field.

The American stated how everything went according to plan in terms of the Paris Olympics race. “We did everything right. It’s so many hours and weeks and months of work that people don’t see.” With a huge sigh of relief, she confesses how she feels like she earned it. “My coach told me that everything we’ve done up until this point – Tokyo Olympics, World Championships, even my injured year in 2022 – it was for this, that I was prepared, that I was mature, and I was ready.” But no matter how prepared she was for this, the 27-year-old still couldn’t wrap her head around being an Olympic gold medalist. 

Gabby Thomas’ win is iconic for more than one reason

The Jamaicans have left an indelible mark on the sport. Their dominance started in the Rio 2016 Olympics when Elaine Thompson-Herah produced double wins. However, this time around they didn’t dominate the women’s 200m event at the French capital. Thomas and Brittany Brown both stood atop the podium, clinching a gold and a bronze in the event. For the first time in 12 years, Jamaica wasn’t right there with them. Both of the sprinters are the third American duo on the Olympic 200m podium.

The first time many witnessed this sight was back in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics when USA’s Florence Griffith-Joyner and Valerie Brisco-Hooks made it to the podium with Jamaica’s Merlene Ottey. The second time was at the 2012 London Games when Allyson Felix and Carmelita Jeter stood atop the podium with Jamaica’s Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica. The two medals from the finals on August 5 now puts Team USA at the top of the all-time women’s 200m Olympic medals with 15. How excited are you for the 27-year-old? Let us know in the comments!