American soon faced competition from Dina Asher-Smith, who had the support of the local crowd at the London Stadium, eager for a British triumph.
Asher-Smith made a fast start and led from the initial bend but began to fade in the final stretch. Julien Alfred from Saint Lucia took advantage of the situation to move into the lead just metres from the finish.
Thomas’ surprise performance brought some order to the race. Despite being lagging at the start after a slow curve, she managed to accelerate and overtake her rivals. Her comeback not only secured her first place but also saw her break the London Stadium record with a time of 21.82 seconds. The previous record of 22.10 seconds had been held since 2015 by Jamaican Elaine Thompson-Herah.
