The dust may have settled on the magnifique of the Paris Olympics. Yet, many still can’t seem to move past it. And how could they? The Games have been nothing short of exhilarating, giving the masses moments they would look back on for years to come. For Gabby Thomas, the pièce de résistance was her iconic performance in the 200m finals. The track and field star stunned the crowds by snagging her maiden Olympic gold amid the thunderous cheers from the stand. 

After bagging three golds in the French capital, the 27-year-old is now the fifth woman in track and field history to accomplish this feat. So it’s safe to say that her Parisian stint was a success. While she’s currently enjoying some time off the track, an exciting challenge momentarily landed her in hot water with fans. However, this didn’t stop her from backing her compatriot Noah Lyles up. What could have stirred the pot? 

Gabby Thomas has a message for IShowSpeed

Even though the 2024 track season is long gone, the Olympic 100m Champion locked horns with YouTube sensation IShowSpeed in a 50m race. Another YouTube creator, MrBeast, is the mastermind behind this fun showdown. When a snippet of the race was posted on X, a fan pointed out how this was a photo finish. While Gabby Thomas promptly refuted that claim, another fan exclaimed that Speed is athletic and kept up with the sprinter. What did the 27-year-old have to say? “He definitely is. When he hit that backflip I got scared for Noah 😂”

What really went down? As Noah Lyles settled in his lane, Speed decided to up the antics by doing an impressive backflip. Shortly after, they were ready to begin the unusual race. As soon as the gun went off, Speed picked up an early leave, surprising everyone. But the Olympian wasn’t far behind and triumphantly beat his opponent. This was a result everyone was expecting. Yet, many fans believed otherwise.

A troll seemed to target Gabby Thomas: “Run against him we want to see something real quick.” Quite an odd challenge to throw at the Olympic 200m champion. But she wasn’t phased and clapped back, “Honestly, I will, but a man beating a woman is not the flex you may think it is 🤷🏽‍♀️” The 3x Olympic medalist knows what she’s talking about. And why wouldn’t she? The 27-year-old has only been training for this her whole life. However, that wasn’t enough to change the masses minds. 

Many didn’t appreciate the 27-year-old backing Noah Lyles up

The world witnessed a barrage of magical moments during the Paris Olympics. However, the Olympic 100m champion hasn’t raced at any meets since then. This didn’t sit too well with MrBeast, and he found the perfect way to bring the sprinter back to the track. Known to come up with unusual challenges, the YouTube creator announced that anyone who could beat the Olympian would win a whopping $100,000.

However, this wasn’t interesting enough for him. So, it only made sense to recruit a fellow YouTuber to make this as tantalizing as ever. What made it even better was that Speed is not a sprinter. While it seemed like the odds were in Noah Lyles’s favor, the YouTuber proved to be an exciting opponent. This led to many fans backing the creator up.

But Gabby Thomas wasn’t taking any credit away from Speed. In fact, the sprinter even stated that he ran well for a streamer. She simply didn’t agree with the many claims about the race being close. When fans would hit her with snarky remarks, she responded with well-founded statements.

Many were still not satisfied with her responses and kept pointing out how Noah Lyles slacked during the race. Yet, the Olympian refused to back down, explaining how even though Speed ran faster than anyone expected, the result was as clear as ever. The Olympic 100m champion effortlessly beat the YouTuber. Do you agree with the 3x Olympian, or do you think the fans are onto something?