200m specialist Gabby Thomas arrived in Paris without a single gold medal. However, the track and field star finally realized her golden dreams when she left with three. The world’s fastest epidemiologist earned gold in the 200m, 4x100m, and 4x400m events inside Stade de France. Since then, the Olympian has flaunted her hard-earned hardware wherever she went.

The 27-year-old Olympic champion put her three gold medals inside a box that she carried with her throughout her return trip. “These medals do not leave my sight. These are my babies. So I don’t put them in my suitcase” the 5x Olympic medalist told RuPaul during her Jimmy Kimmel Live appearance. However, keeping the medals with her became an issue at the airport.

Airport security across the globe is incredibly picky about the items you can carry onboard the flight. So when the tripe Olympic champion tried to get past the security in Paris, they inquired about the box. Yet, the tracks and field star found it “almost kind of fun. Because it’s… a little moment where you get to flex a little bit,” Gabby Thomas told the host.

When airport security asked “What are these?” she nonchalantly replied, “Just my gold medal.” catching them off-guard. Why wouldn’t it? It’s not every day that you get to interact with a triple gold medal winner at a single edition of the Olympic Games. Needless to say, she didn’t face any further issues after revealing the contents of the box.

While the revelation drew cheers and laughter from the crowd, RuPaul had a suggestion for Thomas. The host reminded the Olympian about her Tokyo Olympics silver and bronze medals. “You’ve just forgotten all about them?” asked the 63-year-old. “I could have brought them too, now that you mention it,” added Thomas. However, after her difficult journey to Olympic glory, the athlete and her loved ones weren’t the only people who celebrated.

When the nation celebrated Gabby Thomas’ success

The Harvard University alumni didn’t fall in love with track and field as a child. While she ran, the Olympian hoped to play softball with her friends. However, her mother Jennifer Randal had other plans, and during her initial track and field years, Thomas didn’t emerge as a prodigy. Instead, it was years of grueling training and discipline that helped her become a champion.

Yet she had no idea just how much an entire nation rooted for her success. “The first thing I saw when I came out (of the airport) was the Toyota Land Cruiser with my face plastered on it,” Gabby Thomas told People. She felt stunned seeing the crowd who cheered for her incessantly. “I couldn’t have asked for a better homecoming,” added the Olympic gold medalist.

The sprinter’s experience with airport security is just one of the many unique incidents made possible by her Olympic gold win. However, she remains acutely aware of and thankful for the support of loved ones and fans who pushed her to shine on the grandest sporting stage in the world.