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American sprinter (born 1996) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gabrielle Lisa Thomas (born December 7, 1996)[3] is an American track and field athlete specializing in 100 and 200 meter sprint who is the 2024 200m Olympic champion. Born in Georgia and raised in Massachusetts, Thomas competed in college for Harvard University before beginning a professional track career in 2018. Thomas also has a master of public health degree in epidemiology.
_on_July_25,_2024,_in_Saint-Gratien,_France_(cropped).jpg) Thomas on July 25, 2024 in Paris | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Gabrielle Lisa Thomas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | December 7, 1996[1] Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home town | Northampton, Massachusetts, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Pace Academy[2] Harvard University University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event | Sprint | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympic finals |
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Medal record
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At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she won the bronze medal in the 200 m and a silver as part of the women's 4 × 100 m relay. On August 25, 2023, she claimed the 200 m silver medal in the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest with a time of 21.81 seconds.[4] She won gold as part of Team USA in the women's 4x100m relay final with a championship record of 41.03 seconds.[5] At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Thomas won three gold medals; individually in the 200 m, and alongside her teammates in the 4 × 100 m relay and 4 × 400 m relay, in which they ran an American record and the second-fastest time ever.
Thomas was born December 7, 1996, in Atlanta, Georgia, to an American mother, Jennifer Randall, and a father, Desmond Thomas, originally from Jamaica. She has a twin brother.[6][7] In 2007, Randall moved the family to Massachusetts to teach at the University of Massachusetts after completing her PhD at Emory University. While the family settled in Florence, Thomas played softball and soccer, then joined the track and field team at the Williston Northampton School.[8] She was inspired to run by Allyson Felix, saying that her first memory of a track race was watching Felix while at her grandmother's house. In four years at her high school, Thomas set multiple school records and was most valuable player every year.[9][10]
Gabby was recognized as the Ivy League Most Outstanding Track Performer in 2017 and 2018, marking the beginning of her illustrious athletic career.[11]
A graduate of Harvard University, she studied neurobiology and global health as an undergraduate.[12] In May 2023, Thomas finished her master of public health degree[13][14] in epidemiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, at their Austin regional campus.[12][15][16]
While at Harvard, Thomas won 22 conference titles across her three years of athletics in six different events, setting the school and Ivy League records in the 100 meters, 200 meters and the indoor 60 meters.[10] She signed a contract with New Balance and turned pro in October 2018, forgoing her last year of collegiate eligibility.[17]
After Harvard, she moved to Austin, Texas, to be coached by Tonja Buford-Bailey.[18]
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In 2021 an MRI revealed a tumor on her liver, but it turned out to be benign.[19] She represented the United States in the 200 meter race at the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics.[20] Her time of 21.61 seconds at the United States Olympic trials on June 26, 2021, was the second-fastest ever at the time, surpassed only by world record holder Florence Griffith-Joyner.[21] The time even surprised Thomas herself; after the race, she said, "It definitely changed how I view myself as a runner. I am still in shock... my dream was to make the Olympic team... Now that I've accomplished [that], I'm going to set higher goals."[22] On August 3, 2021, in the Olympic final, Thomas won a bronze medal, running with a time of 21.87 s, behind Elaine Thompson-Herah (gold) and Christine Mboma (silver).[23][24] Three days later, the U.S. team having qualified for the finals of the 4 x 100 m relay, Thomas ran anchor, and the team came in second place behind the Jamaican team, securing her the silver medal along with teammates Javianne Oliver, Teahna Daniels, and Jenna Prandini.[25][26][24]
In March, Thomas started her outdoor season at the Texas Relays in Austin with the fastest-ever season opener by any 200 m female sprinter. She achieved the quickest wind-assisted mark of all time at 21.69 seconds (+3.1 m/s). She ran winning 10.92 s in the 100 m just 45 minutes earlier.[27] Thomas missed the qualifying for the home World Championships in Eugene, Oregon in July as she tore her hamstring just weeks before the USATF Championships held in June and only finished eighth in the 200 m final.[28]
On April 29 at the Texas Invitational in Austin, Thomas set a personal record in the 400 m with a time of 49.68 s (her previous PR was 51.15 s from May 2021).[3][29] On July 9, 2023, Thomas became the US national champion for the women's 200m sprint.[30] On August 25, 2023, she claimed the silver medal in the 2023 World Athletics Championships in 21.81 seconds. She finished ahead of USA teammate Sha'Carri Richardson (21.92), and behind defending women's 200m world champion Shericka Jackson (21:41 CR).[4] She would also go on to win gold as part of Team USA in the women's 4x100m relay final with a championship record of 41.03 seconds. Her teammates in this event were Tamari Davis, Twanisha Terry, and Sha'Carri Richardson.[5]
On June 29, 2024, Thomas qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics by winning the U.S. Olympic Trials 200 m race with a time of 21.81.[31] She won the 200 m at the final pre-Olympic Diamond League meeting in London, England, on July 20, with a time of 21.82.[32] At the Olympics, she won the gold medal in the 200 meter race in 21.83.[33] Along with her teammates, she also won gold medals in the 4 × 100 m relay and 4 × 400 m relay.
On September 26, she competed at the Athlos track meet, a women-only track and field meeting at Icahn Stadium in New York City, finishing second in the 200 m.[34][35]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | World Relays | Yokohama, Japan | – | 4 × 200 m relay | DQ | [36] |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 3rd | 200 m | 21.87 | +0.8 m/s |
| 2nd | 4 × 100 m relay | 41.45 | SB | |||
| 2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 2nd | 200 m | 21.81 | |
| 1st | 4 × 100 m relay | 41.03 | CR | |||
| 2024 | Olympic Games | Paris, France | 1st | 200 m | 21.83 | |
| 1st | 4 × 100 m relay | 41.78 | ||||
| 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:15.27 | AR |
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | USATF Indoor Championships | Staten Island, New York | 2nd | 300 m | 35.98 | [37] |
| USATF Championships | Des Moines, Iowa | 8th | 200 m | DNF | -1.2 m/s[38] | |
| 2021 | U.S. Olympic Trials | Eugene, Oregon | 4th | 100 m | 11.15 | -1.0 m/s |
| 1st | 200 m | 21.61 | +1.3 m/s PB | |||
| 2022 | USATF Championships | Eugene, Oregon | 8th | 200 m | 22.47 | -0.3 m/s |
| 2023 | USATF Championships | Eugene, Oregon | 1st | 200 m | 21.60 | -0.4 m/s PB[30] |
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