Is Gabby Thomas going to the Paris Olympics? Everything about the Tokyo silver medalist's performance at the U.S. track & field trials

Gabby Thomas is headed to the 2024 Paris Olympics after winning the 200m title at the 2024 US Olympic Track & Field trials. She struck herself out of the 400m since she wished to participate in her best event.

Gabby Thomas won the bronze medal in 200m and silver in the 4x100m relay at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. At the 2023 World Championships, Thomas unfurled her prowess in 200m and finished ahead of Sha'Carri Richardson to claim the silver. She was also a part of the 4x100m relay team, which won the gold in that event.

Thomas, 27, further outpaced the reigning 100m world champion, Richardson, at the 2024 US Olympic Trials in 200m. She won the race in 21.81s, leaving Brittany Brown and McKenzie Long in second and third, respectively. Gabby Thomas will look to clock a better time and upgrade her 200m bronze to gold at the 2024 Summer Games.

In a post-race interview, she talked about taking the first step towards success.

"I knew I needed to get today done, and this is a first step. There was no gold medal in Paris without getting the job done today, so I’m just ecstatic to be alongside these amazing, incredible women," she was quoted as saying by The Associated Press.

Gabby Thomas rose in the track world while pursuing academics

2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field - Day 9

Gabby Thomas studied at Harward University and during that time, she rose to fame in the track world. She broke the women's 200m NCAA indoor collegiate record. She talked about pushing her limits in academics, extracurricular activities, and track, alike.

The Olympian started participating in track events as a part-timer while juggling other things in life. She shed light on the importance of additional interests in developing determination and focus.

"The way I became successful in track and field was basically running track part time. And I think for me that’s really important for my mental health, just having other things in my life that helped fulfill, you know, my goals and make me feel fulfilled," Thomas was quoted as saying by NBC.

Thomas also works at a health clinic in Texas after she earned a Master's degree in epidemiology from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. She graduated in Neurobiology and Global Health from Harvard University.