Team USA’s Gabby Thomas wins 200m Olympic bronze

Since arriving at the Tokyo Olympics, American sprinter Gabby Thomas has been destined for great things.

On Tuesday, Thomas cruised to a third-place finish clocking a time of 21.87 in the 200 meter final to earn a bronze medal for Team USA.

Beyond training for Olympic-level athletics, Thomas has been balancing her sprinting career with a masters degree at the University of Texas in public health, studying epidemiology and health care management.

In 2019, Thomas graduated from Harvard with a degree in neurobiology and a secondary degree in global health and health policy. She then headed to Texas to join the Austin-based Buford-Bailey Track Club, founded by 1996 Olympic bronze medalist Tonja Buford-Bailey.

In June, at the U.S. Olympic trials, Thomas ran a stunning 21.61 seconds to put up the third-fastest 200 meter time ever.

Her time also made her the second-fastest American woman in the history of the race — the only woman who has run faster than Thomas is the legendary Florence Griffith-Joyner, who set the 200m world record back in 1988.

Since her ascent to the top, Thomas has been recognized as a medal contender in Tokyo.