The Olympic Games Paris 2024 are in Gabby Thomas‘s rearview mirror, but the lessons she learned during those Games are still propelling her current success.

Three days ago in Budapest, Thomas sped to a win and set a new meet record (21.83 seconds) at the Gyulai István Memorial 2026 – Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix.

Ahead of Saturday’s London Diamond League 2026, the reigning 200 metres champion explained to Olympics.com that she’s building momentum towards LA28.

“It feels like just yesterday that Paris Olympics were happening, and we were training for it, and I was competing for it, so I know that the LA Olympics are going to be here in the blink of an eye, because those two years go like that,” the 29-year-old said as she snapped her fingers. “Each Olympics that I participate in, I think I learn something from each.”

Her first Olympics in Tokyo was an eye-opening and learning experience. She acknowledged that the understanding and focus she had for Paris was not how she approached Tokyo.

In retrospect, those races served as a springboard for what’s required to not only compete against the best athletes in the world, but also win against that group.

“I feel like I grew a lot as an athlete after that,” Thomas said. “I matured a lot… I was just so naive, and I wasn’t quite as focused as I needed to be. In Paris, I was very locked in, and I was very focused.

“I think moving into the LA Olympics, I have so much confidence, so much security as an athlete, and that also just comes with age and experience. I feel really good and comfortable in my own skin as an athlete and in my race plan and what I’m capable of doing. I feel very confident against my competitors, so I’ll be going into the Olympics with that mindset.”

Picture by 2024 Getty Images

Gabby Thomas is eyeing more Olympic glory

Thomas is now using every race over the next couple of years as an opportunity to build herself up even more.

“What have you done for me lately,” in short, is how Thomas described the balancing act of both looking ahead, while also taking notes from past events. This is the metric she’s using to judge whether she’s trending in the right direction for the 2028 Games.

“Sights are really pointed towards the LA Olympics,” Thomas said. “Paris has come and gone. Every year there’s a new crop of athletes coming for the crown. Every year an athlete might look entirely different, so each season is different. It doesn’t matter what you did the season before. It doesn’t even matter what you did the race before, so I’m taking it race by race and season by season. The eyes are on the LA Olympics.”

Should the 4x100m and 4x400m gold medallist add any additional hardware to her collection, she has a brand-new home for them.

For those wondering where Olympians keep their gold medals, well, Thomas keeps hers tucked in a place one would never expect. Exactly how she likes it. But if someone was to find it, Thomas certainly wouldn’t be upset if someone did take her medals.

“I used to kind of have them sitting in my sock drawer – kind of hidden, where no one knew where they were, but I knew where they were,” Thomas said with a chuckle to Olympics.com. “My fiancé made me put them in a glass case, so now it’s very beautifully presented. He was like, ‘What’re you doing?!’

“But I think when you are an Olympic medallist – I’m sure other athletes can relate – it’s not about the medal. I know what I did, I have the memories, and I’m really happy about that. The medal is just cute. You can have the medal, but you can’t take the memory and accomplishment.”

Gabby Thomas storms to gold for USA in women’s 200m | Paris 2024 highlights

Gabby Thomas of the USA dominated the women’s 200m final at the Paris 2024 Olympics, storming to gold in a time of 21.83 seconds. 100m gold medallist Julien Alfred of St Lucia came home second, with American Brittany Brown picking up the bronze. Watch Paris 2024 live here: https://olympics.app.link/7K8KpfMN8Kb

Gabby Thomas is counting on Mondo Duplantis

Thomas will compete tomorrow morning in the 200m final. Fortunately for her, Thomas said, her race follows Olympic pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis‘s final, which she’ll be watching intently.

“I’m rooting for you, more than anyone,” Thomas said to Duplantis. “I have a new superstition. It started at the Paris Olympics. You had done some incredible jump… They had the 200m women lined up to race… Pole vault was still happening. I remember you jumping… but the entire stadium went crazy, and then I was so excited and amped up. Obviously, that went very well.

“But then last week in Budapest, the same exact thing happened. I don’t know what you jumped, but the whole stadium went crazy, I look on the screen, I see it’s your face. I’m like, ‘OK, that’s a good omen’. Because last time I saw this, I won my race, and then I won my race in Budapest.

“Hopefully, you’re before the 200m one this weekend, and hopefully, it works out. I’m not a superstitious person, but this is my new one.”

The 27-year-old sprinter relives her gold medal moment in the women’s 200m final at Paris 2024 and shares what it means to her to be the first American to triumph in the event since Felix in 2012.