Gabby Thomas reacts to Erik Kynard Jr.'s journey as high jumper receives London Olympics gold at Paris medal reallocation ceremony

Gabby Thomas lauded Erik Kynard Jr. after the American high jumper received his 2012 Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics medal reallocation ceremony. He originally won the silver in London before Russia's Ivan Ukhov was disqualified from his gold medal due to doping.

Kynard Jr. made his Olympic debut at the London Olympics and cleared an impressive 2.33m height in the men's high jump finals. His silver medal was upgraded to gold in 2021 after Ukhov's results from July 2012 to December 2015 were disqualified for doping.

The 33-year-old, who was a high-performance director with USA Track and Field at the 2024 Paris Olympics, received the medal at the Champions Park on August 9 in the first-ever series of “medal reallocation ceremonies" and has now been lauded by American sprinter Gabby Thomas.

Reacting to the "resilient" journey of Kynard Jr. shared by Olympics on X, Thomas wrote:

"👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽@Erik_Kynard"

While Thomas won three gold medals at the Paris Olympics and was elated, Kynard Jr. didn't share similar joy when receiving his gold medal after 12 years. When asked whether the medal reallocation ceremony had made him whole, he replied (via Yahoo Sports):

“I would not sum it up as making me whole for what I lost ... It's like I told a joke 12 years ago, and the world just now is starting to get it."

Following the London Olympics, the high jumper didn't win medals at the major championships except for two bronze medal victories at the 2013 and 2014 World Indoor Championships. He finished sixth at the 2016 Rio Olympics before retiring in 2021.

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"It’s hard not to look ahead" - Gabby Thomas excited for 2028 LA Olympics after triple gold medal win at the 2024 Paris

Athletics - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Gabby Thomas celebrates gold medal win - Source: Getty

Gabby Thomas won gold medals in the women's 200m, 4x100m relay, and 4x400m relay at the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the first American sprinter to win the half-lap Olympic title since Allyson Felix in 2012.

With the 2028 Olympic Games taking place in Los Angeles, the 27-year-old can't wait to win more gold in front of the home crowd. Sharing her excitement for the Games in an interview with Olympics.com, she said:

“It is incredible that the next Olympic Games are on home soil. I cannot wait to be able to represent our country at home. It’s been so much fun to do it here in Paris, but to be able to compete for your country, in the country, in LA, is going to be such an amazing feeling."

"It’s hard not to look ahead… but I’m definitely looking forward to that," Thomas added.

The five-time Olympic medalist has started the preparations for the 2025 track and field season, and alongside looking to defend her 200m title at the World Championships. Thomas is set to race in Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track.