EUGENE, Oregon (June 29) — Gabby Thomas, Brittany Brown and McKenzie Long clinched their spots on the U.S. Olympic team with top-three finishes in the women’s 200m final at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials on Saturday. However, the national 100m champion Sha’Carri Richardson failed to make the team after finishing fourth.
Thomas, the reigning Olympic bronze medalist and the silver medalist at the world championships last summer, proved her dominance by capturing her third national title in the event, clocking 21.81 seconds (0.6 m/s). The 27-year-old had set the pace in Friday’s with a world-leading performance of 21.78 secs in semi-finals and maintained her form to secure victory in the final.
Meanwhile, Brown, the 2019 world silver medalist, chose an opportune moment to deliver a career-best performance. The 29-year-old sprinter crossed the line in 21.90 seconds, shaving a precious .09 seconds off her personal record to claim the second place.
NCAA sprint double champion Long completed the Olympic-bound trio with a time of 21.91 seconds to secure the final spot on the team headed to Paris.
Read more: Sha’Carri Richardson (10.86), Melissa Jefferson (10.87) breezed into Olympic Trials 100m final
The final, however, dealt a blow to Sha’Carri Richardson’s Olympic aspirations in the 200m. The national 100m champion, who had impressed with times of 21.99 in the heats and 21.92 in the semi-finals, couldn’t replicate those performances when it mattered most.
Richardson, the world championships bronze medalist in Budapest, last summer, finished fourth in 22.16 seconds, missing out on a second consecutive 200m global championships berth.