American sprinter Gabby Thomas took gold in the women's 200m at the Paris Olympics, one of the marquee matchups at the Games.
She crossed the finish line with a comfortable lead over women's 100m winner Julien Alfred, of St. Lucia, and teammate Brittany Brown. Thomas finished in 21.83 seconds, half a second behind the world record set by Florence Griffith-Joyner at the 1988 Games.
It's the first Olympic gold medal for Thomas, who grew up in Northampton, Massachusetts, and graduated from Harvard University. She earned two medals in Tokyo: silver in the 4x100m relay and bronze in the women's 200m.
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She posted the fastest time Monday in the 200m semifinal, making her a favorite for the gold in Tuesday's final.
"I feel really good, I feel confident, in control," she said after the semifinal. "I feel confident that it'll all come together tomorrow, so I'm excited."
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Thomas is the first Harvard graduate to win a track and field gold at the Olympics, according to her official Olympic bio page. James Brendan Connolly won the first triple jump gold, in 1896, but didn't graduate, they said.)
Thomas, who began running track and field at school in Easthampton, now has a master's degree in epidemiology and health care management from the University of Texas Health Science Center. She wants to make a difference in the health care industry.
"I envision a really long career in track and field. I envision many more medals. I envision continuing to work at the clinic and when I retire working in the health care space," Thomas told NBC10 Boston this spring. "But most importantly, I really envision myself making an impact in the communities that I am a part of and I hope I inspire, especially, another generation of girls to follow in the same footsteps."
