Remember the name Gabby Thomas when the Tokyo Olympics come ‘round next month.
Thomas won the women’s 200-meter dash during Saturday’s U.S. Olympic trials, clocking in at 21.61 seconds. According to USA Today, not only did she beat her personal best record of 21.94 seconds–which was recorded during the 200 meters semifinals on Friday–but her time on Saturday is the second-fastest in the history of the event. Florence Griffith-Joyner still holds the record with 21.34 seconds that she ran back in 1988 during the Olympic Games in Seoul.
If you haven’t seen the video of the 24-year-old Thomas doing work, go ahead and take a look, because she K I L L S it.
Besides Thomas’ feat being impressive at face value, it’s also important to note that the Harvard grad did this after dealing with a health scare earlier this year.
After winning the 200 meters at the Golden Games on May 9, Thomas underwent an MRI to diagnose what had seemed to be a nagging hamstring injury. The results of the MRI revealed a tumor on her liver.
“The more and more I spoke to people, the more the word ‘cancer’ was used. I was scared,” Thomas said on social media on June 7.
Thankfully, though, Thomas received news from doctors that the tumor is benign and won’t need to be operated on.
“I am so excited to compete – feeling much lighter with this weight off of my shoulders! One of the greatest gifts in life is our health,” Thomas said prior to the trials on social media.
“I remember telling God, ‘If I am healthy, I’m gonna go out and win trials,’ “ she said.
Nine-time medalist Allyson Felix also participated in Saturday’s race and came in fifth place, meaning she didn’t qualify to participate in the event in Tokyo.
But we’ll still be seeing her run in the women’s 400 meters during the games. The 2020 games will be the last time that we’ll see Felix in action at the Olympics, as she intends to retire before the 2024 Paris Summer Games.
She told NBC during a post-race interview that she’s going to go out in Tokyo by giving her “absolute all.”
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