Olympic Bronze Medalist Runs World-Leading 22.46 To Open Outdoor Season In Austin

By David Woods for DyeStat

Jamison Michael photos

AUSTIN, Texas – Country music’s big night comes Sunday at the CMT Music Awards at the Moody Center.

In the adjacent building, Mike A. Myers Stadium, pro athletes at the 95th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays await the big awards. Those come later: July’s USA nationals and August’s World Championships.

“We’re not training to break records at Texas Relays at the end of the day,” sprinter Gabby Thomas said. “The idea is to go to nationals and crush it, and win medals. This is kind of a means to an end to get there.”

Judging from Saturday, she is getting there.

In her first 100-meter race on U.S. soil in 11 months, she won in 11.09. In her first 200 since September 2022, she clocked a world-leading 22.46.

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Yet 2022 was not Thomas' year, especially after earning silver and bronze medals at the Tokyo Olympics. At the 2021 U.S. trials, she ran the 200 in 21.61, then the fastest since Florence Griffith Joyner’s world record of 21.34 at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Thomas strained a hamstring a couple of weeks before the 2022 nationals. She made the final but finished eighth, missing Team USA for the worlds at Eugene, Ore.

“The timing of that injury was tough,” she conceded. “But when you do the sport, you sign up for it. It’s in the job description. So I’m very prepared mentally and physically to bounce back from that. It was really tough mentally last season.”

She said it was a “huge win” to return that season and finish second in the Diamond League final at Zurich, behind world champion Shericka Jackson of Jamaica.

Thomas said pros usually don’t open outdoors this early – and especially not in their specialties – but wanted to test her fitness. She trains in the Austin area under coach Tonja Buford-Bailey, a 1996 Olympic bronze medalist in the 400 hurdles and former coach at Illinois and Texas.

“Now I’m just more motivated than ever,” said Thomas, 26. “I want to take what’s mine, and I want to show what I can do and work really hard for it. Mentally, I’m there. Physically, I’m getting there.

“We’ll see what I can do.”

In the 200, Thomas seized the world lead from teammate Lynna Irby-Jackson, who was second in 22.71. Irby-Jackson had clocked 22.65 at Austin on March 4.

Before the two sprints at Texas Relays, Thomas ran in an invitational 4x100 relay.

Three women from last year’s world champions – Melissa Jefferson, Abby Steiner, Jenna Prandini – along with Aleia Hobbs raced as Team USA Gold and won in a world-leading 41.75. USA Stars, anchored by Sha’Carri Richardson, was second in 42.10. USA Red, anchored by Thomas, was third in 42.12.

The men’s 4x100 was won in a world-leading 38.08 by USA Red: Christian Coleman, Kenny Bednarek, Trayvon Bromell and Marvin Bracy.

Other pros making season debuts were Valarie Allman in the discus and JuVaughn Harrison in the high jump.

Allman, Olympic champion and world bronze medalist, set a Texas Relays record of 222-9/67.90m. The Austin resident broke her own mark of 218-0/66.46m from 2021. Among Americans, only Allman and Gia Lewis-Smallwood have thrown farther.

Harrison high jumped 7-7.75/2.33m, tying Australia’s Joe Baden for best in the world outdoors. Harrison also ended last season as a Diamond League runner-up.

Contact David Woods at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.