"I never imagined I would be in that exact position" - Gabby Thomas honored to replicate Allyson Felix's golden feat at 2024 Paris Olympics

Triple Olympic champion Gabby Thomas shared her excitement after her triumph in Paris, where she joined her childhood inspiration Allyson Felix as 200m gold medalist. It marked Thomas' first Olympic gold medal.

The Harvard graduate participated in her second Olympic Games this year, and clinched three gold medals. To begin with, she secured the 200m gold by defeating Julien Alfred and Brittany Brown with a time of 21.83 seconds. The victory marked America's first 200m Olympic gold in the female category since Allyson Felix won at the London Olympics in 2012.

When Thomas learned that she was the first sprinter since Felix to achieve the incredible milestone, she expressed her happiness and pride. Felix was the one who inspired her during her childhood to become a sprinter.

"Being the first woman to win the 200m gold since Allyson Felix in 2012 is such a great feeling because I have looked up to her for so long, ever since I was a child," Thomas said via Olympics.com. "She’s such great representation, but I still never imagined that I would be quite in that exact position."

Gabby Thomas also helped the United States win its eighth consecutive gold medal in the 4x400m relay, and she was also part of the team that won the 4x100m relay.

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"I loved her grace and she’s so accomplished" - Gabby Thomas on Allyson Felix

Gabby Thomas at the Olympic Games-Paris 2024 (Image via Getty)

Gabby Thomas once recalled that her mother would make her watch Allyson Felix's races to learn from her. When the 27-year-old was pursuing her track-running dreams, she noted that she always kept the American legend in mind. Thomas was quoted as saying (via ANDSCAPE in 2021):

"When I started running and as my goals kept growing for myself, I always remembered Allyson Felix," she said. "I was always a fan watching her. I loved her grace and she’s so accomplished."

Gabby Thomas got a chance to interact with her childhood hero during the Paris Olympics when she was interviewed by Felix. The Georgia native shared with the former Olympian how she inspired her, mentioning the "chicken legs" discussion on a public platform as she had faced similar circumstances growing up.

"You did an interview where you talked about having chicken legs growing up. I read that while I was living that. Everyone was calling me chicken legs. It was something I was so insecure about and I didn’t see myself as a strong athlete for that reason, but that really resonated with me. I was like, 'you know what? That’s fine. I’ll have chicken legs and I’ll run track and I’ll be like Allyson Felix,'" Thomas said (via Elle).

Responding to Gabby Thomas, Felix said that she was glad that she was not the only one with chicken legs out there.