American sprint star Gabby Thomas says she’s fully focus on the Olympics after missing the Monaco Diamond League meeting on Friday (9). In fact, the U.S. champion revealed that she was never considering making the long trip to Europe.
Thomas was initially listed among the high-profile sprinters to race in the women’s 200m in Monaco, along with Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Bahamian Shaunae Miller-Uibo, Ivorian Marie Josee Ta Lou, and Nigerian Blessing Okagbare, but her name was removed from the starting list prior to the meeting.
The 24-year-old who won the 200m title at the 2021 U.S. Trials last month with a personal best of 21.61 seconds, noted that the high-quality standard at the U.S. Trials can be exhausting and her plan is now to recover fully and focus on making her first-ever Olympic Games appearance.
Why Did Gabby Thomas Missed Monaco Diamond League Meeting?
READ MORE: [Watch Video] Gabby Thomas runs No. 3 fastest-ever 200m to win at U.S. Olympic trials
“I had never decided that I was going to Monaco,” Thomas told World-Track this week. “U.S. Trials are a lot on athletes mentally, physically, and emotionally-especially since I did two events- and my second and most demanding wasn’t too long ago.
“I’m focused on staying healthy and sharp for the Olympics. Adding travel stress so soon just didn’t fit into that plan for me. [I’m] excited for the elite competition in a few weeks.”
Thomas will enter the Tokyo Olympic Games which will get underway later this month, as one of the leading contenders for the gold medal.
READ ALSO: Watch Gabby Thomas workout session before Olympic trials
The Harvard University graduate owns the third-fastest time all-time over the 200m behind the world record of 21.34s by Florence Griffith-Joyner and the American’s 21.56s performance which was also set in the semi-finals at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games.
Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah, the double Olympic sprint champion, two-time Olympic 100m champion Fraser-Pryce, who like Thomas, broke 22-seconds for the first time in their career this season, Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson, as well as Bahamian Olympic 400m champion Miller-Uibo and Briton world 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith, are among the early betting favorites for the top podium position in Tokyo.
