EUGENE, Ore. — After the women’s 200m final, McKenzie Long said she heard the craziest things from Gabby Thomas and earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic team a place.
“She said she dreamed about me,” Long said with a smile, holding a bouquet of white and purple flowers and a bronze medal around his neck. “She said, ‘Yeah, I have a dream that you’re going to be an Olympian.'” I was like, “You don’t want to tell me that before we get out there.”
Thomas said she didn’t want to ruin that dream, so she saved the idea until after the game. But Long — with a chance to make it to Paris in her best event before perhaps the biggest race of her life — could use that anxiety to ease.
Long suggested Thomas’ announcement could do wonders before the game. Because faith from an idol can do wonders for confidence.
“I literally kept telling her, ‘I want to be you.’ She was inspiring,” Long said. “That’s my goal. I want to be like Gabby Thomas.
Thomas needed some time to adjust to the new skin she was wearing. Experienced people. The one on the tent.
Sometimes, she said, she wishes she could go back to her old normal, when it was just running and simple athletic friendships. However, those days are over.
“Great athletes are under pressure, and I understand that. So, if I want to be a great athlete, if I want to be among Sarnia (Richards-Ross), Allison (Felix) … you just have to compete under pressure and accept that’s part of it.
Thomas, 27, is embracing the escalating pedestal she sits on. Saturday’s 200m final confirmed her elite status.
She took out everyone in the field, including Sha’Carri Richardson, in 21.81 seconds. That was two-tenths of a second slower than her best time. Thomas is a top American figure in one of the most glorified events in sprinting.
Gabby Thomas (center), Brittany Brown (right) and Mackenzie Long all qualified for Team USA in the 200 meters in Paris. (Christian Peterson/Getty Images)
Therefore, she is ready to become a star. The face of the franchise is about to enter its prime. She already has two Olympic medals – a bronze in the 200m relay in Tokyo and a silver in the 4x100m relay. Last year, she won a silver medal in the 200 meters and a gold medal in the relay at the World Championships. Winning a gold medal in the 200 meters in Paris, and potentially another in the relay, would catapult her to another level in the national consciousness.
Thomas has the complete package. There’s something endearing about her. She is very marketable. Her depth makes her platform relevant. She has seniority and respect.
That’s why college superstars like Long mold their dreams into her image.
“It’s really humbling actually,” Thomas said. “I remember feeling that way about other athletes I watched. I felt that way about Allison Felix at my last Olympic trials. I felt that way about Jenna Prandini. It feels like that, too, and I’m still campaigning against her… so it feels so surreal to have a young athlete look at me and say that. But it really makes me feel like it gives me purpose. .
Most importantly, Thomas is outstanding.
The 5-foot-9 Atlanta native hails from Florence, Mass., and is a refined and elegant figure on the track. The efficiency of her movements and the grace of her steps make it seem like she’s not running that fast. When Thomas runs, the speed seems less strenuous, but the explosiveness remains the same.
Now, she has experience. She could feel the benefits.
“Actually, yes, I do, and I’m very grateful for that,” Thomas said. “Because when you’ve won a medal and people know your name, there’s more pressure. But it’s also comforting to know, ‘OK, I’ve done this before.’ I just felt that maturity. I feel like, ‘Okay, I’m going to go out and execute and I’m not going to let nerves get to me. It’s a feeling I can’t explain, but it’s so comforting to know.
The dragon knew what was going on. Once she saw the lane assignments, the Ole Miss sensation fell in love with her chances. And not just because Lane 7 is the perfect combination of loose curves and course views. But because Thomas is in Lane 8.
“I wanted to stay on top of Gabby’s butt,” Long said. “I knew once I did that, I would position myself the way I wanted to.”
Long rode Thomas to finish third in 21.91 seconds, just behind Brittany Brown’s 21.90 seconds. Richardson – the U.S. 100m champion who looked dominant in the 200m before the final – finished fourth in 22.16. While Richardson competes for a 100/200 double finale, she will still be a highlight in the United States when she debuts in Paris alongside the ever-popular Sydney McLaughlin-Lefro.
Thomas will also join them.
But the star was not born, not in the traditional sense of giving birth to her light. This star is forged and cultivated.
One major component of this evolution that has put her on the cusp of this is that Thomas wants it.
She wasn’t always like this. Track and field is about the love of running and personal growth. She enjoys the development and progress that competition brings her. As she progressed and became prominent in the sport, the attention was just a byproduct of what she endured.
Greatness at this level is an investment. Based on her trajectory since Harvard, her direction required internal permission. Because of what it extracted and what it exposed her to, Thomas needed to incorporate it for her purposes.
she has. Now she is ready. She has matured to the point where she believes she can handle the spotlight of stardom, as well as the pressures and burdens that come with its glory. All that’s left is to win on the biggest stage. She believes now is her time.
“I definitely feel like a vet at this point,” she said, “but I also feel like I haven’t reached my full potential yet. I feel like I’m OK. I feel like this is my year.
deeper
Gabby Thomas: U.S. track star has bigger goals besides Olympic medals
(Above, Gabby Thomas and Mackenzie Long embrace after qualifying for the 200m in Paris: Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
