Gabby Thomas Dominates the Track: America's Rising Olympic Sprinting Star

By Jayson Panganiban July 31, 2024 08:58

Photo by AP Photo/Ashley Landis

Gabby Thomas was born Gabrielle Lisa "Gabby" Thomas on December 7, 1996, in Atlanta, Georgia, but she grew up in Northampton, Massachusetts. She always had a family who supported her and fostered an athletic upbringing from the time she was very young. With twin brother Andrew, the pair were sporty from an early age.

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Track and Field 101

Gabby was first introduced to track and field at the Williston Northampton School in high school. This was where she got serious about running after watching the 2008 US Olympic Trials on TV at home in her native Scotts Valley. Seeing athletes like Allyson Felix perform at such a high level made her fall in love with sprinting.

Early Career

She showed her versatility and talent during her time at Williston Northampton in the various events in which she excelled. She was an eight-time New England champion and a school record holder. Naturally, she earned a scholarship to Harvard University, where her ingenuity continued to shine. During her time at Harvard, Gabby captured 22 conference titles in six different events, with Ivy League records coming across the three sprints: 100 meters (11.21), 200 meters (23.12), and indoors abbreviated version of the longer sprint event, 60 meters (7.33). She finished her collegiate career as the first NCAA sprint champion in Ivy League history after she won the 200 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championship with a time of 22.

Establish World Domination

Breakout Performances

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she also collected a bronze (21.87) 200 meters behind Jamaica's Elaine Thompson Herah and Christine Mboma. She also helped the US women's 4x100 meter relay team earn a silver medal, bolstering her reputation as one of the sprinter come-up girls.

She then followed up these breakthrough runs with a silver medal in the 200 m at the World Athletics Championships of 2023 held in Budapest, clocking a time of 21.81 seconds, narrowly losing out to reigning champion Shericka Jackson. Gabby also contributed to the US women's as part of their 4x100 meter relay championship squad that won gold in a championship record time of 41.03 seconds.

Record-Breaking Times

Gabby has been working hard to improve, as seen from her PRs at the 2021 Eugene meet when she clocked the second fastest time of all time in the women's 200 meters with the timing of (21.60 seconds), and an equally sizzling performance at that same meet, but this time running over the shorter distance.

Training, Coaching, and Preparation

Rest and Recovery, Learning Styles

Training-wise, Thomas has a challenging schedule that incorporates speed work, strength training, and recovery techniques to aid in her success. After graduating from Harvard, she moved to Austin, Texas, for a time and joined the Bailey Bunch, an all-Black women's track group coached by former Olympian Tonja Buford Bailey. This one-of-a-kind training atmosphere gives Gabby the support and drive to make it through it.

She works on sprint drills, interval training, and progressively heavier weights to develop strength and explosiveness. Additionally, Gabby stresses the importance of recovery, and her training schedule includes understanding techniques to prevent injuries through stretching, yoga, and physiotherapy so that she can remain in top form.

Drive and Determination

Yet, Gabby has faced her fair share of obstacles along the way. In 2021, it was revealed that she had faced a health scare when an MRI showed she had a benign tumor on her liver. That seemed like it was the end of her competition days, but with resilience and stubbornness, she refused to be kept from the track.

So much more than a fast sprinter, Gabby Thomas is everything good and true about perseverance in the name of excellence. She went from being a young athlete in Massachusetts to becoming a two-time Olympic medalist due to sheer hard work and dedication. As she continues to rewrite the history books and influence scores of young athletes, she may be preparing to impact sports and beyond