Follow live coverage of Day 12 of the 2024 Paris Olympics, with 21 gold medals on offer
SAINT-DENIS, France — Stardom, and its levels, is a wholly intangible phenomenon. It’s unwritten but understood. It’s unofficial yet incredibly significant. It’s a measurement of adoration without a universal metric system.
But whatever the rubric used, whatever credentials are necessary, whatever contexts and extras factor in, Gabby Thomas is qualified.
Tuesday, she checked the final box to complete her resume. She came off the turn in the women’s 200-meter final looking to obliterate. She ran with the kind of power that comes from having to fight for everything. She made the race of her life look easy. Even her time of 21.83 seconds doesn’t illustrate her dominance.
Thomas had a point to prove, and she did it in prime time at Stade de France. She won gold. Her application for the position of superstar in her sport has been submitted.
“I feel like I am a big name now in track and field,” she said, the American flag draped around her like a blanket. “I feel like I’ve earned my respect — and it took years. But that’s what it takes. I went against some really, really good runners today. And I did it.”
There will be no more overlooking Gabrielle Lisa Thomas. No more…
