EUGENE — Gabby Thomas, Brittany Brown and McKenzie Long are headed to Paris to compete in the women’s 200 meters after finishing 1-2-3 in the U.S. Olympic track and field trials Saturday at Hayward Field.
Thomas won in 21.81 seconds, with Brown finishing second in a personal-best 21.90. Long ran a 21.91.
“I came out just thinking, I need to make top three,” Thomas said afterward. “There were so many nerves going on in the moment. I can breathe now … everything’s coming together right when it needs to, and now we’re looking to a gold medal (in Paris).”
Sha’Carri Richardson finished fourth in the final in 22.16. Richardson won the 100 meters at trials to earn her spot on the Olympic team for Paris. She did not speak to reporters after Saturday’s race.
Thomas, the reigning bronze medalist in the event, ran a world-leading 21.78 Friday during the semifinals, surprising herself. She said after that race that she wouldn’t be surprised if she churned out a personal best Saturday, but fell short of that mark.
Still, it was a stacked field, and a terrific show for Hayward Field spectators.
“That was an amazing 200-meter final,” Thomas said. “I didn’t know who was going to make the team. I’m not surprised at who made the team but, geez. I knew I was going to have to bring it. I had to fight for that, it was not an easy win.”
Each of the Americans will be strong contenders for medals in Paris given that Jamaican star Elaine Thompson-Herah, the reigning Olympic champion in the 100 and 200, announced last week she was withdrawing from the Jamaican trials because of an Achilles tear.
Long, a star at Ole Miss who had the best time in the world this season — which she ran in Eugene at the NCAA championships on June 8 — before Thomas went even faster in the semifinals. Long, who also competed in the 100 here but did not make the final.
Long has said she is running in memory of her mother, Tara Jones, who died unexpectedly of a heart attack before the season started at just 45.
“My coach told me before I even came here, run this first 60-100 (meters) and it’ll carry you through,” Long said. “I wanted to stay on top of Gabby’s hip and that’s what I did.”
Email Lindsay Schnell at lschnell@usatoday.com and follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell
