Who wouldn’t enjoy the thrill of stepping on top of the highest step of the podium? Yet, Gabby Thomas wasn’t just looking forward to clinching her first Olympic gold. No, she looked forward to redeeming herself on the world’s grandest stage. The 27-year-old bagged a shiny bronze during her time in the Japanese capital. As exhilarating as it was, the sprinter knew this wasn’t enough. So, she shifted all her focus to training hard before stepping into the French capital. What do you know? It worked! The expectations were higher than ever, but she had finally completed her redemption tour.

The Olympian bagged not one, not 2, but three Olympic gold medals in the 200m, 4x100m and 4x400m. In her own words, this was six years in the making. The sprinter is also the fifth woman in track and field history to clinch three medals at the same Olympics. The kicker? She shares this title with her idol, Allyson Felix, who snagged the title in 2012. But once the dust settled on her dreamy Parisian stint, a track and field fan had an interesting duel for her. 

Gabby Thomas finds an unusual challenge thrown her way

The Olympian did not compete in the 100m event at the French capital, but she ran a blistering split of 10.25 seconds in the 4x100m event. This was the same event where Gabby Thomas bagged another shiny gold with Team USA. But everyone has recently been caught up with Noah Lyles’ recent 50m showdown with YouTube sensation IShowSpeed organized by MrBeast. Even though the Olympic 100m champion clinched a win, many pointed out how close the margin was.

However, the sprinter didn’t agree and promptly burst their bubble. Yet, this only instigated a fan, who mocked and asked her to run against the YouTuber instead. Bear in mind. She is a 3x Olympic medalist. As ironic as this sounded, the Olympian refused to step back. But there was a catch. What was it? She clapped back with, “Honestly I will, but a man beating a woman is not the flex you may think it is 🤷🏽‍♀️” In hindsight, it wasn’t a fair challenge to begin with. On the other hand, the 27-year-old has never let a challenge go. Take her incredible stint in Paris, for instance. 

Even though the 200m was the sprinter’s turf, many believed it wouldn’t be easy to beat Julien Alfred at the French capital. One such critic happened to be Erin Brown. A day after her victory, Brown couldn’t help but share his views with fans on X. He opined, “Something about Gabby Thomas just makes me not wanna see her medal at the Olympics…. I just can’t put my finger on it!” However, the Olympic 200m champion wasn’t phased by it. After nearly 5 months, she clapped back with, “I meant to come back to this I almost forgot😂 🥇 🥇🥇” 

But if you thought this was the end of it, you would be wrong. Brown promptly responded, “You only won because Shericka was hurt stop being silly Gabrielle the relay merchant 🫵🏽” Quite a bold statement, but what does he mean by this? Gabby Thomas faced the Jamaican at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, but her 21.81 seconds was not good enough to beat Jackson’s 21.41 seconds victory. As a result, she had to settle for a second-place finish in the 200m event. Given how the Jamaican withdrew from the 200m event in Paris, the sprinter dissed Thomas’ well-earned win. Have you ever wondered what her secret sauce really was?

The Olympian spills the beans about her 200m victory in Paris

Stepping on the podium isn’t a new experience for the sprinter. However, nothing beats the feeling of clinching your first Olympic gold. But running fast doesn’t always get you medals. She had to plan for every second. The 27-year-old pulled the curtains back on how she sprinted to victory on the purple tracks. She had clubbed years of meditation and mindfulness with her intense training. The pressure was higher than ever, but she was prepared.

Instead of trying to focus on things she couldn’t control, Gabby Thomas decided to channel that energy in her own lane. Even though she didn’t know how Julien Alfred or Dina Asher-Smith were going to run their races, Gabby Thomas was confident about her own capabilities, and that worked tremendously in her favor! 

As soon as the g-n went off, the sprinter sped alongside her competitors in the first 80 meters. By the looks of it, it could be anyone’s race. Undeterred, she took the lead as soon as they rounded the bend. However, Julien Alfred was on her heels, trying her best to keep up with the 27-year-old.

Things changed as soon as they reached the final 20m. The sprinter had things under control. With 21.83 seconds on the clock, she was now the Olympic 200m champion. As she crossed the finish line, she held her hands up to her head in shock, but nothing could change the result. The sprinter had successfully redeemed herself, and no one could take that away from her. Even though the challenge thrown her way seemed unusual at best, Gabby Thomas had no qualms about keeping the fan in check.