After bronze at the Games in Tokyo and silver at the 2023 World Championships, Thomas reached the golden goal in Paris. She won in 21.82 ahead of Julien Alfred (22.08). The 100m Olympic champion from St. Lucien was naturally also jubilant about her silver. Before these Games, she would not have expected to return to her Caribbean island with gold and silver.

There was also a dramatic women's steeplechase race that evening! Winfred Yavi, who comes from Kenya and has been competing for Bahrain since 2016, became Olympic champion in Paris after winning gold at last year's World Championships in Budapest. In a thrilling finish, she beat Peruth Chemutai from Uganda (8:53.34) with a new Olympic record of 8:52.76. World record holder Beatrice Chepkoech (Kenya) had to settle for bronze in 8:55.16. Alice Finot (Fra) finished fourth in 8:58.67, a European record.

In the footsteps of Lewis
As in Tokyo, Greece's Miltiadis Tentoglou also won gold in the long jump in Paris. With 8.48 he beat Wayne Pinnock (Jam/8.36). Like Carl Lewis (1992 and 1996), he thus won twice in succession

The semifinals of the 400 m hurdles provided a foretaste of what was probably the biggest women's running duel at these Games. World record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone easily won the second heat in 52.13, which was the fastest semi-final time in Olympic history. European record holder Femke Bol ran even slower than the American. She remained unchallenged in the third heat in 52.57.

The duel between Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Femke Bol on Thursday will be the big hit. At first it seemed that Femke Bol had little chance against the American after she improved her world record to 50.65 this year. But the Dutchwoman countered in her last Olympic test in Switzerland with a European record of 50.95. And her final lap in the 4 x 400 m mixed relay, with which she led her team to Olympic gold, showed her incredible ability.

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