Gabby Thomas has done it.
The U.S. track and field star won the gold medal that has long eluded her by finishing first in the 200-meter with a time of 21.83 on Tuesday at the Paris Olympics.
Thomas bested Julien Alfred of St. Lucia for second and Brittany Brown of the U.S. for third.
The result denied Alfred a double gold in both 100-meter and 200-meter.
“You prepare for this moment and train so hard for this moment, but when it actually comes, it’s indescribable,” Thomas said. “I never would have imagined in my wildest dreams that I would become an Olympic gold medalist, and I am one. I’m still wrapping my head around that.”
Thomas, 27, is one of the biggest stars in the sport but had yet to claim a gold medal before Tuesday. She took bronze in this event at the Tokyo Games behind Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah and Namibia’s Christine Mboma as well as silver in the 4×100-meter relay.
The Harvard graduate set herself up for a big 200-meter performance in Paris with an incredible year of training and racing while battling back from a hamstring injury in 2022.
After earning a silver medal in the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, she won the 2024 New York City Grand Prix in 22.42 and then in June posted the fastest time of any sprinter this year with a 21.78 at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Just before the Olympics, Thomas won the 2024 London Diamond League in 21.82.
Thomas also won gold in the 4×100-meter relay in the World Championships.
Her chances in Tuesday’s race increased when two-time reigning 200-meter world champion Sherika Jackson pulled out of the event earlier this week. She did not disclose a reason but posted on social media that “God’s plan is always the best.”
“Sometimes the process is painful and hard,” Jackson said. “But don’t forget that when God is silent, he is doing something good for you.”
Thomas told NBC News prior to the Olympics that her goal was to inspire the next generation of runners.
“Track and field is really special and unique in that you get out exactly what you put into it,” she said. “When people watch me race, I want them to know that they can believe in themselves.”
That happened Tuesday night.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
