Harvard Alumna Wins Olympic Gold in Track and Field
American runner Gabby Thomas made history by winning the women’s 200m final at the 2024 Olympics, becoming the first Harvard alumna to win a track and field gold medal in over 100 years.
After winning eight out of nine 200m races in 2024, Thomas continued her stellar performance at Stade de France on August 6. She faced fierce competition from Julien Alfred (Saint Lucia) and Dina Asher-Smith (UK) in the first quarter but surged ahead in the latter half. The 27-year-old sprinter accelerated powerfully in the last 80 meters to finish first with a time of 21.83 seconds.
Julien Alfred, the women’s 100m champion at the Paris 2024 Olympics, finished second with 22.08 seconds, falling short of her dream of winning two Olympic golds. The bronze medal went to Brittany Brown (USA) with a time of 22.20 seconds.
“I don’t remember anything about the race,” Thomas said. “It’s the strangest feeling when you’re so focused on competing and putting all your energy into reaching the finish line. In my mind, I was the only one in the race today.”
Thomas upgraded her medal collection, having previously won a silver in the 4x100m relay and a bronze in the 200m at Tokyo 2020. She also helped the US win its first women’s 800m gold since Allyson Felix at London 2012. This was the fifth gold for US track and field at Paris 2024 and the second at Stade de France that day, following Cole Hocker’s victory in the men’s 1500m.
In addition to her athletic career, Thomas prioritizes her education. She revealed to NBC News that she was inspired to succeed at the highest level by her single mother, who worked as a waitress and attended classes to become a professor while raising Thomas and her brothers.
Thomas was admitted to Harvard, where she studied neurobiology and global health. She left during her final year to turn professional but still earned her neurobiology degree in 2019. In May 2023, she completed her master’s in epidemiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston.
Thomas’s brothers, Desi and Andrew, inspired her to study neurobiology. Desi has autism, and Andrew, Thomas’s twin, underwent neurofeedback therapy for ADHD in high school.
While at Harvard, Thomas won 22 titles in six events, setting school and Ivy League records in the 100m, 200m, and indoor 60m. She signed with New Balance and turned professional in October 2018. With her victory at Paris 2024, Thomas became the first Harvard alumna to win an Olympic track and field gold in over a century. “I worked very hard and everything was according to plan,” the 27-year-old runner proudly stated. “This has been a six-year plan since moving to Texas. I worked hard every day and deserved this success. But it still feels unreal and indescribable.”
