Gabby Thomas, one of the deepest thinkers in track, chose to view herself as “healing” instead of “injured” last year. That, in short, is how the Olympic gold medalist — slowed, then eventually stopped by an aching Achilles tendon — made it through a frustrating 2025 and turned it into a much more interesting and successful 2026. “You are setting up to come back even better,” Thomas said of the change in mindset about being hurt.
“And every time that I’ve had an injury, I’ve always come back stronger and better and faster. So that was what I was thinking, and then, just staying focused.” The 29-year-old Thomas, who won the 200 meters at the Paris Games two years ago and is ramping up for a repeat attempt two years from now in Los Angeles, is not competing at this weekend’s U.S. She said it is not a signal that she is hurting.
In one of the interesting twists of 2026 — the middle year of the Olympic cycle that’s always a little quirky for track — nationals did not fit into her Diamond League and international schedule. She’s doing just fine there, with five sub-22 second runs this season, which gives her 20 for her career — the most by any woman at the distance. She traveled to New York to cheer on some of her teammates sponsored by Toyota, which arranged this interview.
Among the highlights coming up for Thomas will be the World Athletics Ultimate Championships, where $150,000 first prizes are available, and more races at Athlos, the all-women league founded by Alexis Ohanian that is heading into its third year with a growing roster of runners, including Friday night’s 100-meter champion, Sha’Carri Richardson. Athlos’ second meet of the year will be in October at Ichan Stadium on New York’s Randall’s Island, the same place where nationals are this weekend. Last spring, she got engaged to onetime Yale quarterback Spencer McManes (Thomas went to Harvard) and they’ll get married in October at a location she did not divulge.
Planning a wedding in the middle of track season? “I always say, you make time for what you care about and what you want to do, so if you love it, you’ll do it.” She takes that mindset into her off-the-track life, where she still has plans for a career in women’s health once the running stops. Thomas studied neurobiology and public health a…
She said it is not a signal that she is hurting.In one of the interesting twists of 2026 — the middle year of the Olympic cycle that's always a little quirky for track — nationals did not fit into her Diamond League and international schedule. Planning a wedding in the middle of track season?“It’s not challenging,” she said. Thomas studied neurobiology and public health as an under…
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