U.S. sprinter Gabby Thomas won a gold medal in the women’s 200-meter race, clocking in at 21.83 seconds. She bested St. Lucia’s Julien Alfred while Brittany Brown claimed bronze.

Thomas is the first American track star since Allyson Felix in 2012 to win gold in the 200-meter race, earning the U.S. its fifth gold medal in track and field – Cole Hocker added to the total after his come-from-behind win over Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen.

“You prepare for this moment and train hard for this moment, but when it actually comes, it’s indescribable,” Thomas said. “I never would have imagined in my wildest dreams that I would become an Olympic gold medalist, and I am one. I’m still wrapping my head around that.”

Thomas has already made a name for herself by winning bronze in the 200-meter in the Tokyo Olympics and silver at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest.

At her alma mater, Harvard University, Thomas won the 200-meter NCAA title in 2018 while being recruited to also run the 100-meter, in addition to doing the short and long jump. The Northampton, Massachusetts native won the 2024 New York City Grand Prix with a time of 22.42 and the 2024 London Diamond League in 21.82.

Shericka Jackson withdrew from the 100-meter and 200-meter for an unknown reason. The Jamaican track star experienced a hamstring injury affecting her performance. Jackson’s absence from Tuesday’s race made Thomas the clear favorite to win gold.

“I knew what I wanted to do: take the lead and finish strong,” Thomas remarked. “It’s kind of like tunnel vision at that point. I got out of the blocks and I couldn’t tell you where anyone was. But I knew I was ready; I knew I trained for this.”

Olympic runner Gabby Thomas took the time to recall the period when she recovered from a hamstring injury that she suffered at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The injury sidelined Thomas from competing in the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships last year.

Athing Mu, a runner for Team USA hailing from New Jersey, became the first woman since 1968 from the United States to grab gold in the 800-meter race. Mu’s performance in Tokyo is also the fastest time an American has ever recorded in the event.

“Now I am happy and satisfied, I am glad I did what I have been doing all year, and not switching off because I am at the Olympics. Just being me is what makes me more proud about this experience,” Mu said of her efforts.

Alongside Mu for the U.S. was Raevyn Rodgers, who secured third place and a bronze medal.

Mu had envisaged herself winning well before the Olympics, telling reporters, “I’m looking forward to standing on the podium, the middle one, and receiving the gold medal that in the future will have my name engraved on it.”

Outside of the 800-meter event, Gabby Thomas of the United States also medaled, finishing in third place in the 200-meter race.

“The last thing my coach told me was to stay relaxed throughout the entire race and I think that is what got me the medal,” said the Harvard alum of her efforts to snag a spot on the winners’ podium.

Sha’Carri Richardson has failed to make the U.S. Olympic Relay Team, according to the U.S. Track and Field Association. The news comes just days after her 30-day suspension for marijuana use discovered by a test for the substance by the USATF. Notably, the suspension would not have prevented Richardson from participating in the 4×100 relay. Regardless, she was not named to the squad.

Instead, the team will consist of Javianne Oliver, Gabby Thomas, Teahna Daniels and Jenna Pradini.

After the news was announced, Richardson sent out a tweet expressing both sadness and optimism:

Outside of the recent controversy, Richardson is an incredibly talented runner. She ran the 100-meter sprint in 10.86 seconds while at the qualifying races in Oregon. While in Oregon, Richardson consumed the marijuana that led to her suspension. She states that she used the drug after being told her biological mother had passed.

According to the World Anti-Doping Agency, marijuana is banned because it “[increases] risk taking, [slows] reaction times and [produces] poor executive function or decision making.”

Richardson had hoped to become the first gold medalist for the U.S. in the 100-meter event since 1996. She would have competed against Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who currently holds the fastest time in the world at 10.63 seconds.

The Tokyo Games begin July 23.