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Harvard grad Gabby Thomas wins Olympic gold in Women's 200-meter

PARIS -- Gabby Thomas went to Paris for a gold medal, and the Northampton native did not disappoint. Thomas easily raced her way to Olympic gold at the Women's 200-meter on Tuesday.

Thomas was never challenged down the final stretch on the purple track at Stade de France, and finished in 21.83 seconds to claim her first-ever gold medal. She beat out 100-meter champ Julien Alfred of St. Lucia (22.08 seconds) and fellow American Brittany Brown (22.20 seconds), who won silver and bronze, respectively.

As she crossed the finish line, Thomas placed her hands on her head and let her emotions pour out. She is the first American to win gold in the Women's 200-meter since Allyson Felix did so in the 2012 London Olympics.

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Gabrielle Thomas of the United States celebrates winning the women's 200m final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 6, 2024. ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP via Getty Images

Thomas won bronze in the Women's 200-meter three years ago in the Tokyo Olympics, where she also won a silver medal in the Women's 4x100-meter relay.

Thomas, 27, is a 2019 graduate of Harvard, where she studied neurobiology and global health. She recently received her Masters degree in public health at the University of Texas. 

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