"Gabby Thomas asleep on the bend" - Michael Johnson reacts to the epic 200m finish at London Diamond League

American legend Michael Johnson shared his reaction to two-time silver medalist Gabby Thomas' epic victory at the 2024 London Diamond League meet.

Thomas participated in the 10th meet of the annual Diamond League in London on Saturday, July 20. The American won the event, clocking 19.82 seconds with a new meet record and the second-fastest finish of the season. However, at the start of the race, Thomas was lagging behind the pack, and it was Dina Asher-Smith of Great Britain who was leading the charge towards the finish line while being closely followed by St. Lucia's Julien Alfred.

But as the race drew to an end, Thomas surged ahead and cut the tape, taking the top spot, while Alfred finished second, setting a new national record of 21.86, and Asher-Smith secured third place with a season-best time of 22.07 seconds. Daryll Neita and Rhasidat Adeleke also recorded their season bests of 22.20 and 22.35, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.

Following the conclusion of the event, former Olympic and world champion Michael Johnson shared his views on the race on his X handle (formerly Twitter), appreciating Thomas' comeback while breaking down Asher-Smith's problem with "speed endurance." He wrote:

"So much going on in this race! Gabby asleep on the bend and impressive comeback! Julien looked unhappy with her PB. More to come from both in Paris! Dina always struggles with speed endurance. Great bend but gotta figure out how to sustain that speed longer."

Michael Johnson's response to Sha'Carri Richardson's victory after a shaky start

Olympic & Paralympic Games, Paris 2024 and Beyond - Laureus World Sports Awards Madrid 2024

Michael Johnson was stunned after Sha'Carri Richardson pulled out a 100m blinder in the first round of the 2024 US Olympic Track and Field Trials at Hayward Field Stadium in June. She stumbled off the blocks as the race kicked off, but she pulled herself back and won the race in an impressive time of 10.88 seconds.

The video of the race was shared by Travis Miller on his X account. Reacting to the clip, Johnson wrote:

"Unbelievable!"

After the conclusion of the race, Richardson was asked how she continued the event after fumbling at the start, to which the 100m world champion replied:

"I definitely didn't have the start that I have been training for this moment. But still, not panicking, staying patient."

She added that she wanted to keep going while leaving behind what happened at the start of the race.