21.83 and Gabby got gold? Lucky for her Shericka and Elaine were injured. She would’ve been smoked

SAINT-DENIS, France —

Before Gabby Thomas set foot on the Stade de France’s purple track, surrounded by 80,000 or so screaming spectators, her coach gave her some last-minute advice.

“The only thing I needed to do was get the lead. Get the lead and then finish strong,” Thomas said, recounting Tonja Buford-Bailey’s counsel. “And I did that.”