Angel Reese, much like the rest of the crowd on hand, couldn't believe Gabby Thomas' gold medal performance in the 200m .
Ahead of the Paris Olympics, Thomas was the favorite to outright win the event after winning the 200m at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June with a time of 21.81 seconds. However, Thomas would have to outrace St. Lucia's Julien Alfred, who famously defeated Sha'Carri Richardson in the 100m just days before.
In front of 77,000 fans at Stade de France, the 27-year-old appeared to be firmly in control of the race, with nary a moment from the other competitors giving her any issues. Once she crossed the finish line, her emotions took over as she celebrated.
READ MORE: Gabby Thomas promised to win Paris gold after Olympics agony - 'You will see me there'
READ MORE: Gabby Thomas avenges Sha'Carri Richardson's Olympics snub by winning 200m gold
Reese, the Chicago Sky star, summed up her emotions and feelings from the race with a simple, two-word post on X (formerly known as Twitter). "GABBY. THOMAS," she wrote, with a gold medal emoji.
For the American track star, this is her second individual Olympic medal win . Thomas won bronze in the 200m final during the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo and was part of the 4x100m relay team that captured the silver medal.
Thomas' gold medal triumph recalled what she told reporters after nabbing bronze in Tokyo. Disappointed with her bronze medal finish, Thomas made sure that her performance in Paris would be better and that she would do whatever it took to win the medal that alluded her.
"Paris 2024, I want to go for that gold, so you will see me there," she said at the time. "I will be fighting for it." And Thomas surely fought for it, both mentally and against her competition.
Thomas just wanted to make sure she was in the right headspace for arguably the biggest race of her career so far. "I need to keep my heart rate up," Thomas shared, telling reporters that she did 10 burpees, per Yahoo! Sports . "It is really embarrassing, but clearly works."
She also explained to reporters after her gold medal win in Paris that she did not know what to expect and what emotions would arise. Thomas was so in the zone that she didn't know she had won the race until after she crossed the line.
"It’s the most bizarre feeling when you get into a flow and you get into that kind of energy where nothing matters but the finish line,” she added. “I wasn't thinking about anything. I did not expect to feel how I felt when I crossed that line.
"You prepare for this moment, and you train so hard for this moment, when it actually comes, it's indescribable, and I couldn't believe it. I mean, I never would have imagined in my wildest dreams that I would become an Olympic gold medalist. And I am one, and I'm still kind of wrapping my head around that.”
Of note, Thomas took Richardson's spot after the latter failed to qualify for the event at the Olympic Trials in June. The two are expected to be teammates for the 4x100m relay race.
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