"I wouldn't be surprised to see a PB tomorrow"- Gabby Thomas makes a bold prediction after clocking the 200m World lead at the U.S. Olympic Trials

Gabby Thomas has moved a step closer to her second consecutive Olympics in Paris by clocking a world-leading time at the semifinals of the US Olympic trials. She recorded 21.78 seconds to emerge as the fastest competitor in the USA, ahead of Sha'Carri Richardson, who matched her heat timings of 21.92 seconds.

However, Gabby Thomas is not the one to be satisfied by just that. She is aiming for bigger and better. When asked about her performance in the semifinals, the American sprinter mentioned that she didn't know what to expect of her run, and said (as quoted by Olympics.com),

"To see that kind of time, something that felt so nice and controlled...is a good feeling."

When asked if she was here to make a statement, Thomas went on to make a bold claim and said,

"This is my year. So if I make the [U.S. track and field] team, I want to come out with another world lead, another PB, and just show everyone that I'm ready to compete...I wouldn't be surprised to see a PB [of 21.6 seconds] tomorrow, but I don't know."

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Gabby Thomas' performances in the 2024 Olympic season

Gabby Thomas competing at U.S. 2024 Olympic Track and Field Trials [Extreme Left]

The 27-year-old Harvard graduate is in the prime of her form and will be looking to make it count in Paris. Gabby Thomas had withdrawn from the 400m to focus on her 200m event, a decision that paid off big time.

In May this year, Gabby Thomas earned laurels for Team USA as the quartet of Tamari Davis, Gabby Thomas, Celera Barnes, and Melissa Jefferson clocked 42.21 seconds to win the gold medal in the 4x100m at the 2024 World Relays Meet held at Nassau.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Thomas won a bronze medal in the women's 200m and a silver medal in the 4x100m relay. Courtesy of her consistent improvement over the years, Thomas will be looking to have a better shot at the gold medal at the upcoming Paris Olympics.

If she manages to match her personal best of 21.6 seconds, Thomas would well be in contention for at least a silver, if not a gold medal. However, she will also need to overcome the Jamaican challenge posed by Elaine Thompson-Herah, who won the Olympic gold medal in the same event at the Tokyo Olympics after clocking 21.53s, which was a new national record for Jamaica in the women's 200m.