Mark our words: Gabby Thomas is a name you’ll be hearing a lot during the Olympics in Tokyo next month.
The 24-year-old won the women’s 200-meter dash during Saturday’s U.S. Olympic trials, clocking in at a scorching 21.61 seconds—the second-fastest time in the history of the event—and sending her straight to the Olympics.
Sprinting isn’t the only thing in which Thomas has excelled. While majoring in neurobiology at Harvard, the inspiring Atlanta-born athlete also managed to win the 2018 NCAA 200-meter indoor title and claim 22 conference titles in six different events.
In addition to training, Thomas is currently working on a master’s degree in epidemiology and health care management at University of Texas at Austin. She hopes to one day help correct healthcare inequities in African American communities.
In a series of tweets earlier this month, Thomas discussed her own recent health-related scare. This past spring, the results of an MRI to diagnose a lingering hamstring issue revealed a tumor in her liver.
“At first, I was calm…” she wrote. “But the more and more I spoke to people, the more the word ‘cancer’ was used. I was scared.”
On June 7, just weeks before the start of the Olympic Trials, Thomas received the news that the tumor is benign and won’t require surgery.
“I am so excited to compete—feeling much lighter with this weight off of my shoulders!” she tweeted. “One of the greatest gifts in life is our health.”
“I’ve been working so hard,” an ecstatic Thomas told USA Today after her stellar performance on Saturday. “I moved to Austin, Texas, to train for this. I still just cannot believe it. I’m so, so happy. I’ve been working so hard. I’m really grateful.”
Now that’s what we call a role model!
