At 29, Gabby Thomas has already built a career that feels larger than her years. She’s sprinted to Olympic gold, graced the cover of Vogue and earned a master’s degree in epidemiology. Yet, somehow, she’s just getting started.
During the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Thomas proved she’s one of the fastest female runners in the world, winning gold medals in the women’s 200-meter race and as a member of the U.S. 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams.
More Than A Sprinter
Gabby Thomas on the cover of Vogue's Winter 2025 issue
Photo by Norman Jean Roy/Vogue
Momentum hasn’t slowed for Thomas since her return from France. In January 2025, the dramatic black-and-white Vogue cover came out, an experience she describes as a “huge pinch-me moment.
“A month before the cover shoot, I attended a Fashion Week event, and Anna Wintour, Vogue’s editor in chief, was there and knew who I was,” Thomas recalls with a smile. “She thought a dress from the Carolina Herrera collection would look good on me, and I wore it to a dinner she was hosting for the CFDA Fashion Fund awards the night before my shoot. She was right — it was perfect. I don’t know if I’ll ever quite get over how cool that experience was.”
In addition to her foray into the world of fashion, Thomas has continued to be the face of women’s track and field as one of the founding athlete-owners of Athlos, a woman-only track and field series first held at Icahn Stadium in New York City.
Thomas remembers when entrepreneur and investor Alexis Ohanian, the founder of Athlos, approached her several years ago to ask her some questions about track. Ohanian, who has a history of investing in women’s sports, envisioned creating a year-round, high-visibility platform for women’s track and field — one that would give athletes opportunities beyond major championships and elevate the sport to the cultural and commercial prominence of top professional team sports leagues.
Photo By Hayden Sahli/Amazfit
“Alexis wanted to know what we needed, what could improve events and what we didn’t want,” Thomas recalls. “From there, the first Athlos event launched in 2024, and it was such an incredible vibe. I’ve never had that much fun at a track meet — looking around to see Serena Williams [Ohanian’s wife] giving out Tiffany crowns and then Ciara performing live — we were all smiling ear to ear.”
Now, Thomas is working alongside fellow Athlos athlete-owners and Olympians, Tara Davis-Woodhall and Sha’Carri Richardson, to build an expanded league format with multiple meets across several cities. She’s also celebrating a major personal milestone: Last March, she got engaged to Spencer McManes, founder and CEO of the beverage company Kaviva, whom she started dating in 2022.
“Luckily, Spencer has a flexible job and can work remotely, so he travels with me to almost every meet and major event. Being with him provides a sense of calm and normalcy that’s so nice,” Thomas says. “In track life, having a partner makes such a difference — from grabbing food so it’s waiting for me when I get back to the hotel to making sure I’m safe and comfortable in crowds. Everything would be so much harder without him by my side.”
The couple started wedding planning, which Thomas says has been fun to tackle together.
“I have a feeling that once my competition season starts, he’ll be the one deep in the details,” Thomas admits. “I’m very Type B when it comes to planning, so it works out perfectly.”
She says fans might be surprised to learn that, off the track, she’s a mellow homebody.
“It’s easy to see a bunch of highlights on Instagram and assume we’re always out at parties and events, but real life for me is much quieter. I’m usually at home reading, cooking, meditating or walking my dog, Rico,” Thomas says. “Also, as an elite athlete, people might be surprised by the amount of pizza we eat. I promise if I’ve had a good race, there’s a pizza being consumed somewhere.”
Photo By Hayden Sahli/Amazfit
Although she has no plans to retire anytime soon, Thomas says that when she eventually hangs up her track spikes, her priority will be starting a family.
“I’d also like to continue to have an impact in the sport. Though I’m not exactly sure what format that will take, you’ll definitely still see me around,” she says. “I plan to keep pursuing my goals in public health, whether that means launching a charitable organization or consulting with a hospital.”
Overcoming Obstacles
Like many elite athletes, Thomas has weathered injuries that have disrupted her training. In May, she sustained an Achilles injury that sidelined her through the end of 2025, forcing her to miss the World Championships in September. Still, she says those challenges have only strengthened her, offering lessons she wishes her younger self could have known.
“I’ve learned that grit and hard work always pay off, and that the hard moments are just as valuable as the good ones,” Thomas says. “I gained valuable insight from every setback, and I wouldn’t be an Olympic champion without those experiences shaping my journey. Sometimes the toughest moments lead to the biggest breakthroughs.”
Although formal training for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles doesn’t begin until the fall of 2027, Thomas notes that she and other elite sprinters are continually working and improving year after year.
“We begin training in November and December and work through the spring before we start our competition season,” she explains. “We train as a group at local tracks and, depending on the day, do various lengths of drills and sprints, and also the weight room is really important for sprinters.”
Photo By Hayden Sahli/Amazfit
Sports have always played a prominent role in Thomas’ life. As a child, she competed on soccer and softball teams, but it wasn’t until high school at The Williston Northampton School in Massachusetts that she began running track.
“I first started track because my mom signed me up — there’s not much arguing with her,” Thomas says with a laugh. “But over time, I fell in love with the process, and that passion really guided me when it came time to look at colleges.”
Thomas ultimately chose Harvard University, feeling it offered the perfect balance of academics and an excellent track coach. As an undergraduate, she studied neurobiology and global health while setting school and Ivy League records in the 100 meters, 200 meters and indoor 60 meters competitions.
“There was a time during my sophomore year when I was really uncertain that I would do track professionally, and I almost quit,” Thomas admits. “But then I had a breakout year my junior year, winning an indoor NCAA title, and suddenly it changed my entire perspective.”
In 2018, Thomas traded her last year of college eligibility to sign with New Balance and go pro. After graduating from Harvard in 2019, she moved to Austin, Texas, and joined The Buford Bailey track club, where she was coached by three-time Olympian Tonja Buford-Bailey.
“At the time, making an Olympic team was just a dream and I needed to be around an elite group that would pull me up,” she says.
Winning a bronze and a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics was a huge accomplishment — one Thomas says she will always cherish. Securing three gold medals in Paris in 2024 was the icing on the cake.
Photo By Hayden Sahli/Amazfit
Dual Threat
Thomas has effortlessly balanced her athletic career with her pursuit of a higher education. In 2023, she earned her master’s degree in public health, specializing in epidemiology, from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
“Having dual interests gives me balance and perspective,” Thomas reflects. “It prevents me from seeing myself only as an athlete — something that’s easy to do, even if it’s not true. In college, I was just as focused on academics as I was on sports, which helped me avoid putting too much pressure on any single competition. That balance has been healthy for me.”
That mindset continues to shape her life today. Thomas says she can seamlessly switch between track practice and clinical work, giving her mind the breaks it needs. While training three to six hours daily for the 2024 Paris Olympics, she also spent her evenings at a volunteer health clinic in Austin. She has taken the lessons she’s learned about health to heart.
“I’ve applied what I’ve learned about sleep health directly to my own routines, shaping my habits and priorities around rest. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I’ll choose a good night’s sleep over a party any day,” Thomas says.
Her passion for public health also fuels her drive on the track, inspiring her to pursue a legacy that extends beyond personal records.
“I’m running for something bigger,” Thomas says, adding that she hopes her journey will inspire young athletes. “I want women of color to see they can be whatever they want — and that they never have to be just one thing. Don’t let anyone label or define you. Work hard and pursue everything you’re passionate about.”
And, when it comes to being an athlete, Thomas says there’s no single path to achieving success.
“I didn’t come from a traditional elite college track program, and I wasn’t part of a big training group,” she notes. “I wasn’t a high school star ... and yet here I am with five Olympic medals. Your work ethic can outweigh all those outside factors, so don’t limit your mindset.”