EUGENE — Gabby Thomas, Brittany Brown and Mackenzie Long will head to Paris to compete in the women's 200 meters after placing first through third at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials on Saturday at Hayward Field.
Thomas won in 21.81 seconds, Brown took second in a personal best of 21.90, and Long took 21.91.
“I went in thinking I just needed to finish in the top three,” Thomas said after the match. “I was really nervous at the time. Now I've taken a breather. Everything is falling into place when it should. Now I'm aiming for the gold medal (in Paris).”
Shakari Richardson placed fourth in the final in 22.16 seconds. Richardson won the 100 meters at the trials and earned a spot on the Paris Olympic team. She did not speak to reporters after Saturday's race.
Thomas, the reigning bronze medalist in the event, surprised even herself with a world-leading time of 21.78 seconds in Friday's semifinal and said after the race she wouldn't be surprised if she ran a personal best on Saturday, but fell just short.
Still, it was a talented field and a great show for the Hayward Field crowd.
“That was a great 200-meter final,” Thomas said. “I didn't know who was going to be on the national team. I'm not surprised who made it, but man, I knew I had to give it my all. I had to fight for it. It wasn't an easy win.”
Both Americans will be strong medal contenders in Paris, given that Jamaican star and reigning Olympic champion in the 100 and 200 meters, Elaine Thompson-Heller, announced last week that she was withdrawing from the Jamaican trials due to a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Long, a star athlete at the University of Mississippi, ran the world's fastest time this season at the NCAA Championships in Eugene on June 8, but Thomas ran an even faster time in the semifinals. Long also competed in the 100 meters there, but did not make the final.
Long said he was running in memory of his mother, Tara Jones, who died suddenly of a heart attack aged just 45 before the start of the season.
“My coach told me before I got here that if I could run the first 60 to 100 meters, I'd be OK,” Long said. “I wanted to be on Gabby's hips, so I did.”
Email Lindsay Schnell at lschnell@usatoday.com and follow her on social media. Lindsay Schnell
