A lot is made of Gabby Thomas wearing an arm sleeve. For some, it's a needed compression aspect. For others, it's a style choice, or something that their idol does, so they do as well. But for the latest gold medal winner, it serves as a constant reminder. For the Olympian, it gives the gentle nudge to keep pumping the arms and to maintain proper form throughout an event.
Her discipline and dedication showcased themselves as she cruised to a relatively comfortable win in the 200-meter race at the Paris 2024 event. The victory displayed her improvement from the Tokyo Games and established her as the clear-cut best in this event.
The ease with which the Harvard master's holder was able to pull away from the pack is nothing short of amazing. As she comfortably passed the finish line, the emotion and buildup proved to be too much to contain. A deservingly excited and drained Thomas took everything in, seemingly reflecting on everything that led to her being able to grab this clear-cut victory.
Brittany Brown and Gabby Thomas meet at podium
Another American, Brittany Brown, won a bronze medal by the narrowest of margins. She finished 0.02 seconds ahead of the fourth-place finisher. Her ability to also push through may go unnoticed or be overshadowed for now, but it shouldn't be. Her ability to outlast deserves as much credit as anyone who finished first.
This illustrates a larger point. A lot is made of the medal count and the way in which the 'rankings' should establish themselves. If going strictly on the competitive nature of sports, then it should be whichever country has the most gold medals. It's about as even a playing field as an overall competition can get, and the country that finishes with the most first place finishes deserves that top spot.
Contrast that mindset with those who say that overall medal count is what matters the most. The argument is that finishing top three, whether it's an individual or team event, is tough and deserves credit. Either way, both mindsets miss the overall point. There are plenty of great stories and overlooked triumphs even from people who finish fifth or who failed to qualify for the final round of whatever event they're competing in.
Not all journeys to the Olympics are the same. Furthermore, this silly notion that medal counting is what Paris 2024 is about needs to be put to rest. The efforts of athletes like Gabby Thomas and Brittany Brown deserve recognition. Of course, whoever comes out on top at the end of the day deserves credit and should get proportionally more attention and praise for being able to outlast. But if at the end of each day a spectator can only look at the numbers underneath the respective columns, then they are missing out.
When you then consider that, the highly discussed 'reminder' of an arm sleeve, wasn't even worn during the race, it just goes to show something even more important. A lot of what happens in these sports that spectators only tune into every four years is lost.
Moreover, what it actually takes to be great in any of these events is mostly lost to the average viewer. This is particularly true, and shows a level of casualness if all anyone is consumed with is how many golds, or whichever color Team USA picked up on any given day.