Meet Gabby Thomas: Harvard graduate in neurobiology, who won women’s 200m gold at Paris Olympics

New Delhi: USA’s sprint sensation Gaby Thomas has been enjoying the time of her life at the Paris Olympics 2024. She soared to a historic gold medal in women’s 200m with an impressive timing of 21.83 seconds, beating Julien Alfred of St. Lucia by 0.25 seconds. It was Thomas’ maiden gold medal at the Olympics and the third overall after she took a bronze medal in the same event and a silver in the 4 x 100 meter relay for Team USA at the Tokyo Games.

The 27-year-old, a Harvard graduate, dominated in the 200m final as she sped to an early lead and maintained it throughout to grab the top spot on the podium. Thomas entered the Olympics having recorded the fastest time in women’s 100m this season after recording an impressive timing of 21.60m at the USA Championships, her personal best and the 4th fastest time in the history of the event.

It takes more than just hard work and dedication to win a gold medal at the Olympics, but being an Olympic champion is not the only feather in Thomas’ illustrious cap. She is a genius off the track as well and academics has always been one of her top priorities. The Harvard graduate might arguably be one of the smartest if not the smartest athletes at the Paris Olympics with an illustrious CV.

Childhood struggles and journey to Harvard University

Thomas, who is a native of Northampton, Massachusetts, was never interested in taking up running professionally until she got into college. Her mother, who worked as a waitress to make ends meet, was Thomas’ first inspiration and motivated her to succeed in life. Thomas’ dedication and hard work paid off when she got admission into Harvard University, one of the most prestigious universities in the world.

At Harvard, Thomas studied neurobiology with a minor in global health and policy. She also earned a citation in French. It was at one of her classes in Harvard that Thomas learned about the disparities in the American health care system and how people of colour faced discrimination even in the health sector.

The class left her inspired to the core and prompted her to pursue a master’s degree in public health at the University of Texas, one of the best in the world. But it was not all study and no fun for Thomas at college as she began her professional sprinting journey as a student, making waves with her performances in the Conference USA, an intercollegiate athletic conference.

Sowing seeds for future in college

Thomas shone in athletics while at Harvard and then at the University of Texas during her master’s degree. She won a whopping 22 titles at the Conference USA in as many as six different track events. She also won the 200m sprint title at the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Ivy League. Thanks to her stellar performances at the college level, Thomas earned a name for herself in the American athletics circuit and made her Olympic debut in 2016.

She finished her maiden Olympic campaign with two medals as she bagged a bronze medal in the women’s 200m before winning a silver medal with Team USA in the 4×100-meter relay. The best moment of her athletics career arrived in Tokyo on Wednesday when she claimed the precious yellow metal in the women’s 200m race, beating her nearest rival by a wide margin of a quarter of a second.

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 USA’s Gabby Thomas, a Harvard graduate in neurobiology, clinched gold medal in women’s 200m at the Paris Olympics 2024. Thomas studied neurobiology at Harvard and also holds a masters in Pubich Health from the University of Texas. Here’s all you need to know about the American ace sprinter.  Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today