Two years ago, Julien Alfred lost the Olympic 200m gold medal at the Paris Games to Gabby Thomas by 0.25 seconds. Now, Alfred will have another chance to challenge the reigning Olympic champion at the Monaco Diamond League after winning back-to-back Diamond League victories. But this time, both Thomas and Alfred will have a new threat -Adaejah Hodge. With three of the fastest runners set to line up, can Thomas continue her dominance?

Thomas is set to open her Diamond League season in the women’s 200m on July 10 at Stade Louis-II in Monaco. But the Olympic champion will not have an easy return, as she faces a stacked field featuring Alfred, Hodge, Gemima Joseph, Cambrea Sturgis, and Kayla White.

But at the same time, the American enters Monaco in excellent form. Thomas opened her 200m season with a 22.15-second 200m performance at the Addis Ababa Grand Prix before improving to 21.89 seconds at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi.

However, her biggest statement came at the USATF Lone Star Grand Prix in College Station, Texas, where she won in 21.70 seconds. The performance became the second-fastest time in the world for the 2026 season and was faster than her Olympic gold medal-winning time of 21.83 seconds. It also moved her just 0.10 seconds away from her personal best of 21.60 seconds, set in 2023.

But standing in Thomas’ way will be Julien Alfred, who has also enjoyed a strong start to the season.  Alfred opened her Diamond League campaign with a 21.93-second victory in the women’s 200m at the Rome Diamond League, defeating world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. She then continued her winning run in Oslo, taking the 100m title in 10.76 seconds.

The Saint Lucian star’s best 200m this season is 21.86 seconds, set in Austin on April 30. Alfred still has a personal best of 21.71 seconds and is a serious threat to Thomas.

The biggest challenge, however, may be from Adaejah Hodge. The 20-year-old British Virgin Islands athlete. Hodge made a name for herself in the NCAA championships by taking gold in the 200m in a striking 21.68 seconds. The performance broke the NCAA record and is a world lead.

She has also already tested herself against the world’s best. In her Diamond League debut at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Hodge finished third in the women’s 100m with a time of 10.80 seconds behind Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Sha’Carri Richardson.

However, this season is extra special for Gabby Thomas after a tumultuous 2025.

Gabby Thomas looks to rebuild after Achilles injury

Following the Paris 2024 Olympics, there were high expectations for Gabby Thomas in the 2025 season. But last year was a challenging year due to injuries.

Thomas first began dealing with an Achilles issue in May 2025. The problem continued throughout the season and became worse in July. Despite the injury, she competed at the 2025 US Championships, where she finished third in the 200m and earned her place on the World Championships team. However, she was not fully healthy.

In September 2025, Thomas announced that she would withdraw from the Tokyo World Championships because the injury had not healed enough for her to compete safely. Now, after returning to the track, Thomas is looking to make the most of the 2026 season as she builds toward her biggest goal: defending her Olympic 200m title at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Although she has described 2026 as an ‘off’ year where there’s not the pressure of an Olympics or World Championships, Thomas remains focused on training and competing at the highest level.

After Monaco, Thomas already has a busy schedule ahead. She is set to compete at the Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix in Budapest on July 14 before returning to the Diamond League stage at the London meeting on July 18. With a strong start to her 2026 campaign so far, all eyes will be on Thomas to see what she can deliver next!