The Olympic Games Paris 2024 are in Gabby Thomas‘s rearview mirror, but the lessons she learned during those Games are still propelling her current success.
Three days ago in Budapest, Thomas sped to a win and set a new meet record (21.83 seconds) at the Gyulai István Memorial 2026 – Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix.
Ahead of Saturday’s London Diamond League 2026, the reigning 200 metres champion explained to Olympics.com that she’s building momentum towards LA28.
“It feels like just yesterday that Paris Olympics were happening, and we were training for it, and I was competing for it, so I know that the LA Olympics are going to be here in the blink of an eye, because those two years go like that,” the 29-year-old said as she snapped her fingers. “Each Olympics that I participate in, I think I learn something from each.”
Her first Olympics in Tokyo was an eye-opening and learning experience. She acknowledged that the understanding and focus she had for Paris was not how she approached Tokyo.
In retrospect, those races served as a springboard for what’s required to not only compete against the best athletes in the world, but also win against that group.
“I feel like I grew a lot as an athlete after that,” Thomas said. “I matured a lot… I was just so naive, and I wasn’t quite as focused as I needed to be. In Paris, I was very locked in, and I was very focused.
“I think moving into the LA Olympics, I have so much confidence, so much security as an athlete, and that also just comes with age and experience. I feel really good and comfortable in my own skin as an athlete and in my race plan and what I’m capable of doing. I feel very confident against my competitors, so I’ll be going into the Olympics with that mindset.”
READ MORE: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/london-diamond-league-2026-us-gabby-thomas-sights-pointed-la28
