AUSTIN (KXAN) — A pair of Longhorns are set to battle in the women’s 200-meter dash Tuesday at the Paris Olympics.
Gabby Thomas and Julien Alfred finished as the top qualifiers for the finals following Monday’s semifinals at Stade de France. Thomas finished in 21.86 seconds for the fastest time of the night while Alfred clocked in at 21.98. They were the only two runners to finish in under 22 seconds.
Thomas won the bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with a 21.87, nearly the same time as her semifinal run. Alfred’s personal best is coincidentally 21.86, set on July 20 in London, and she’s chasing an Olympic double after upsetting Sha’Carri Richardson in the 100 Saturday.
“I’m feeling more confident right now,” Alfred told Nexstar’s Jala Washington. It was right after her semifinal run, and Alfred also said she was “tired.”
For Thomas, she gave Washington a thumbs-up and a wink as she walked through the interview area on her way to start her recovery. Thomas earned a master’s degree in epidemiology from the University of Texas at Austin after completing her undergraduate degree at Harvard. While running for the Crimson, Thomas won the 2018 NCAA title in the 200 and was a seven-time All-American.
Alfred won the 2023 Bowerman Award for the Longhorns as the best female collegiate track athlete in the country, and she was named the 2023 United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s female national track athlete of the year. She was an 11-time All-American for the Longhorns from 2018-2023.
The 200 finals are scheduled for 2:40 p.m. CDT.
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