Gabby Thomas won the women’s 200 meters at the Results and highlights from the U.S. Olympic Trials, running 21.61—the best time in the world this year, a new meet record, and the Running Shoes - Gear Results: 2024 Olympic Track and Field Trials. World record-holder Florence Griffith-Joyner (21.34 and 21.56) is the only woman in history to run faster than Thomas.
Results and highlights from the U.S. Olympic Trials
Jenna Prandini finished second in 21.89, a personal best, and Anavia Battle placed third in 21.95, also a personal best, to make Team USA heading for Tokyo this summer.
Tamara Clark finished fourth in 21.98, and 10-time Olympic medalist Allyson Felix placed fifth in 22.11.
won the womens 200 meters at the finding out she had a tumor in her liver. After the race, Thomas said she was worried about the possibility of having cancer while competing at the Olympic Trials. But just a couple of days before she left for Eugene, she learned the tumor was benign.
“I remember telling God, ‘If I am healthy, I am going to go out and win Trials. If this is not cancer, I will make this team,’ and that’s exactly what I did,” Thomas said.
Thomas, who ran collegiately for Harvard, broke the collegiate record for the 200 meters at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships before turning pro and signing a sponsorship deal with New Balance. She graduated in 2019 with a degree in neurobiology and global health and policy, and she is now a graduate student in public health at the University of Texas in Austin, where she trains under renowned sprints coach Tonja Buford-Bailey. Thomas competed at the IAAF World Relays, but Tokyo will be her first ever global championship.
“I have not processed it yet. … I’ve been working so hard, I moved to Austin, Texas to train for this,” Thomas said. “I still just cannot believe it. I’m so so happy. I’ve been working so hard, and I’m really grateful.”
With her new personal best, Thomas was asked whether she considered the world record (21.34) to be within her reach, and she didn’t rule out the possibility.
“I don’t want to put a limit on myself so I’m not going to say it’s unattainable,” she said.
Prandini, 28, qualified for her second Olympic Games after competing for Team USA in Rio. The University of Oregon alum also represented her country at the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing, where she contributed to Team USA’s silver medal in the 4x100-meter relay. The Tokyo Games will be Prandini’s first global championship in five years. In three rounds of the 200 meters at the Olympic Trials, Prandini set personal bests in every race.
“I’m really excited. We’ve been working really hard in practice, me and coach Flo [Edrick Floréal], so to be able to come out here and execute what I’ve been doing in practice—I know we have a lot more that we can improve on, which is exciting—but to be able to come out here and perform well, get a place and punch my ticket to Tokyo is really exciting and I’m really thankful for that,” Prandini said.
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“I dropped to my knees,” Battle said, in reference to her reaction after finishing third. “I was so shocked and full of happiness. I just started crying. I was just overwhelmed.”
The fifth-place finish was Felix’s final race at her last Olympic Trials. During the first half of the championship, the six-time Olympic gold-medalist Advertisement - Continue Reading Below to make her fifth Olympic team at 35 years old.
“Today was just about soaking it all in, you know, the last time around so I just wanted to take it all in and do the best that I could but just to say thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way,” Felix said, while holding back tears. “It’s been a long journey and to see it all finish up, it was really special.”
During her post-race interview, Thomas shared how influential Felix has been to her track career. Now the two sprinters will be on an Olympic team together.
“I remember my first time watching a track meet was watching Allyson Felix, it had to be 10 years ago now, the 2012 Olympic Trials, and to be making a team with her and to be running that fast, I really cannot believe it,” Thomas said. “I feel empowered. I feel like if I can go out and do it, anyone can do it and just make it happen.”
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
