Long Before Simone Biles, Gabby Thomas Stood Up for Her Mental Health To Save Her Track & Field Career: “Needed That Breathing Room”

“Celebrity is as celebrity does” or so goes the adage. We usually assume that one outward veneer of an athlete or an individual’s personality is something they don all the time, but nothing could be further from the truth. Inner work is often relegated, but not for big stars who want to compete at the highest level. Mental health is something that walks in unannounced, be it Simone Biles or Gabby Thomas. Gabby Thomas has earned her place among the elite in track and field. She is ranked as the fourth fastest woman in the 200 meters with an impressive time of 21.60 seconds.

With a collection of two Olympic medals, she stands as a strong favorite in the upcoming Paris Games. In March, Thomas showed her speed and determination by breaking the 11-second barrier in the 100 meters. However, her journey to the top hasn’t been without its obstacles. In 2014, following her sophomore collegiate track season, Gabby Thomas grappled with the daunting prospect of enduring her junior year on the track.

“ I was feeling a little bit less whole in other areas of my life” This struggle was compounded by the scarcity of discussions about mental health within the athletic world during the mid-2010s. Fast forward to today, mental health discourse has become widespread, largely catalyzed by Simone Biles‘ revelation about her “twisties” during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where she prioritized her mental well-being over competition. However, prior to Biles, Gabby Thomas had already navigated similar challenges during her sophomore years. The question remains: how did she manage her imposter syndrome and feelings of inadequacy?

How Gabby Thomas overcame burnout to achieve unbelievable success

Thomas sticks out not just for her athletic prowess, but also her remarkable commitment to pursuing excellence both on and off the track. During her undergraduate years at Harvard, she studied neurobiology and global health while simultaneously setting records in various track and field events and clinching numerous conference titles. Gabby Thomas experienced mental fatigue and emotional strain during her college years as a high-performing athlete. The intense demands of collegiate athletics, coupled with the pressures of academic responsibilities and personal expectations, took a toll on her well-being.

In 2014, Thomas faced exhaustion following her second year of college track and field. She was, on the brink of burnout. She was questioning herself whether she could endure another season of competition. Realizing the necessity for a break, Thomas bravely opted to study in Dakar, Senegal, for a semester even though it meant skipping significant track and field competitions.

Gabby Thomas made a choice to step back from the demanding world of college sports showing her awareness of how crucial mental well-being is for maintaining a thriving athletic career.As she aptly put it, “if I was going to have longevity in the sport, I needed that breathing room. I needed to be able to let things go.” By acknowledging the significance of time off to rejuvenate and reflect, Thomas demonstrated a focus on her wellness that paved the way for achievements in track and field. However, now we wonder; what led to Simone Biles withdrawal from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics? Was it just the debilitating twisties or was something else amiss?

Simone Biles’s impactful withdrawal from Tokyo 2020

Nobody is more privy to mental health than Simone Biles is, at least her circumstances forged her to adopt a cast-iron heart. When Simone Biles withdrew from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, skipping the team, all-around, and two of the three days of apparatus finals to focus on her mental health, she didn’t fully anticipate the global conversation it would ignite. “See, for me, that was the hardest part because speaking out on mental health, I knew that I could have the possibility of becoming an advocate for that. But it wasn’t my goal. It’s not what I really wanted.” Biles also revealed that she had “always had anxiety,” but it became “really bad” in the months leading up to the Tokyo Olympics.

Biles was also plagued by the “twisties”. “I have to focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and well-being. We have to protect our minds and our bodies and not just go out and do what the world wants us to do,” she emphasized. Despite the pressures and challenges, Biles’s decision to prioritize her mental health set a powerful precedent for athletes worldwide, emphasizing the importance of self-care and mental well-being in the face of intense competition.