What you need to know about Gabby Thomas, an Olympic Medalist of every colour

While Gabby Thomas had won bronze in Tokyo, she was clearly poised for gold here. She won her maiden Olympic gold medal after staying in the lead for the whole 200-meter final stretch. She has an Olympic medal in every color now that she has her gold.

In Tokyo, Thomas earned the silver medal in the 4 x 100-meter relay. After 32 years, Thomas' gold is only the second by an American woman in the competition. 2012 was the last time Allyson Felix did it.

Brittany Brown, another American sprinter who won bronze, accompanied Thomas on the podium. In this race, the United States placed two women on the podium for the first time. 

What you need to Know about Gabby Thomas

Thomas was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on December 7, 1996, to Jamaican-born father Desmond Thomas and Black American mother Jennifer Randall. Andrew is the name of her twin brother. After earning her PhD from Emory University, Randall relocated her family to Massachusetts in 2007 so she could start teaching at the University of Massachusetts. After the family moved to Florence, Thomas started playing soccer and softball before joining the Williston Northampton School's track and field team. Allyson Felix encouraged her to run; in fact, she said that watching Felix during a track meet at her grandmother's house was her very first track race memory. During her four years of high school, Thomas won various awards as most valuable player and set numerous school records.

She studied neuroscience and global health as an undergraduate and graduated from Harvard University. Thomas completed her master's program in epidemiology in May 2023 at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston's Austin regional campus. During her three years of competitive athletics at Harvard, Thomas won 22 conference titles in six different events, setting school and Ivy League records in the 100, 200, and indoor 60-meter races. She gave up her last year of college eligibility to turn pro in October 2018 after signing a contract with New Balance.

She relocated to Austin, Texas, to be coached by Tonja Buford-Bailey after graduating from Harvard.

In 2021, Thomas had a health scare when an MRI showed that she had a tumor on her liver, but the condition was benign. In the 200-meter event of the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she competed on behalf of the United States.

At the United States Olympic trials on June 26, 2021, she ran the second-fastest time ever, only behind world record holder Florence Griffith-Joyner, with a time of 21.61 seconds.

Thomas was taken aback by the event as well; following the race, she declared, "It definitely changed how I view myself as a runner." I'm still in disbelief since I thought I would make the Olympic squad. I'm going to aim higher now that I've completed it".

On June 29, 2024, Gabby Thomas won the 200-meter race at the U.S. Olympic Trials in a time of 21.81, earning a spot in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

With a timing of 21.82, she won the 200 meters at the last Diamond League pre-Olympic competition held in London, England, on July 20. She finished first in the women's 200-meter race in Paris in 2024, taking home the gold medal. Her time was 21.83.