In the battle between two Olympic champions, Gabby Thomas watched yet again as Julien Alfred flew beyond her to the finish line. She edged her by fifteen hundredths of a second in a race watched by over sixty thousand. But Thomas left London with something no woman in history has ever had. Her 21.81 made her the first woman to break the 22-second barrier twenty times in a career, and her rivals are not even close.

By crossing the line in 21.81, Thomas became the first woman in 200m sprinting history to break the sub-22 barrier 20 or more times. The American has done that five times in six races this season alone. That has allowed her not just to close the gap but to leap over Shericka Jackson. The Jamaican had the lead going into 2026 with 18 career sub-22s in the 200m but hasn’t raced the distance too many times.

In her two races this season, Jackson has clocked 22.07 in Shanghai and 21.87 in Xiamen to take her tally up to 19. Then Gabby Thomas arrived, after skipping the indoor season, and she started flying. She kicked things off with a 22.15 at the Addis Ababa Grand Prix, and it remains the only race she didn’t register sub-22.

Since then, Thomas has clocked 21.89 at the Kip Keino Classic in late April, 21.70 at the USATF Lone Star Grand Prix, 21.84 at the Monaco DL, 21.83 at the Hungarian Grand Prix and now 21.81 in London. A remarkably consistent run of times, which is made even more impressive given the end of her 2025 season.

She had to withdraw from the World Championships after an Achilles injury, which hurt her preparations for the 2026 season. However, despite breaking the barrier, Thomas has endured a tough run of races lately. That has largely been thanks to Julien Alfred also finding the perfect moment to thrive.

The reigning Olympic 100m champion clocked a personal best and world lead to beat Thomas in Monaco with 21.51. She then proceeded to replicate that performance, registering 21.66 in London to beat Thomas again.

It meant that in an otherwise perfect season, Gabby Thomas has been left with a lot to reflect on, despite another historic milestone. For the Olympic champion, the bigger takeaway from London was not the record she broke, but the race she lost.

Gabby Thomas reflects on her London Diamond League loss

Gabby Thomas walked into London confident, at the top of her game and ready to take on Julien Alfred again. Despite crossing the line in 21.81, her second fastest time of the season, the American wasn’t quite on the mark. Instead, it was Alfred yet again, flying forward and soaring to another win with 21.66.

A remarkable race, and that’s now twice in a row Alfred has beaten the reigning 200m Olympic champion in her own event. However, that hasn’t always been the case, as Thomas has won two out of their last four meetings – in 2024 when she beat her in the London DL and then when she won Olympic gold.

Going further back, that record evens itself out to 3 wins each in the 200m, meaning that the next race will break that deadlock. And despite the loss in London, Thomas is proud of the race she ran.

“It was a solid race; this has been a good [European] tour,” Thomas told Olympics.com. “I’m not ecstatic about second place, but I’m going to go back home with my head held high.

“There’s a couple tactical things that I can work on when I get back home, especially when you’re competing against someone as talented and incredible as Julien. Those gear changes in the last bit of the race, I’ll go back and work on.”

Now with the Diamond League final and the World Athletics Ultimate Championship next up on the docket, things could get rather interesting. For all the attention on Alfred’s recent victories, Gabby Thomas quietly achieved something no other woman ever has in the event. That record now belongs to her alone, even as their rivalry heads toward its next chapter.