WATCH: Gabby Thomas breezes through 200m R1 after 400m withdrawal at U.S. Olympic Track and field Trials

Days after pulling out of the 400m dash, Gabby Thomas qualified for the 200m semi-finals following her Round 1 victory on Day 5 of the US Olympic track and field trials. The event commenced on June 21 and will finish on June 30 at Hayward Field, Eugene.

The American sprinter was supposed to be a part of both, the 200m and 400m, races in the trials initially. However, she withdrew from the 400m just a day before the commencement of the competition. The 2024 Paris Olympics will be her second Olympic appearance if she qualifies for the 200m finals. Her Olympic debut was at the 2020 Tokyo Games, where she nabbed a bronze in the 200m and a silver in the 4x100m.

On Day 5 of the US Olympic trials, Thomas cruised to victory in heat 4 of the 200m discipline by clocking 22.11s and advanced to the 200m semi-finals. She bested Jadyn Mays, who clocked 22.50. Overall, the 27-year-old claimed the second position, and Sha'carri Richardson was at the top with a time of 21.99s. Abby Steiner took the third position, recording a time of 22.29s.

NBC Olympics & Paralympics shared the video of Heat 4 of the 200m event on X, where Thomas is seen running way ahead of her contenders to grab the Round 1 win of the discipline.

Gabby Thomas opens up about the 200m round 1 win at the US Olympic trials

After recording the second-fastest time of the opening round, behind Richardson, in the trials, Gabby Thomas opened up about her win in the post-race interview with NBC. She also recalled the time when she qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. (via Gazette net.com)

"It's an amazing feeling," said Gabby Thomas. "I remember coming here three years ago and being so surprised to make the Olympic team so to be here is kind of a different position is really exciting."

Thomas opened her 2024 with a 100m win at the Texas Relays, which came as a surprise to the enthusiasts since 200m is considered to be her pet event. When asked about not competing in the 100m at the trials, the American said:

"I'm really focused on 200m gold this year. I'm kind of laser focused, tunnel vision on 200m."

After winning the 100m in her season opener, Thomas stated that she was getting better in the event and that her start and transitions were improving, so she intended to prove that she could run the 100m dash.

Gabby Thomas will be competing next in the 200m semi-finals on Friday, June 28, aiming to advance to the finals for her final quest to punch her Paris Olympics 2024 ticket.