Gabby Thomas’ Paris bucket list: Catching a glimpse of the River Seine, winning the gold in the 200m dash, and climbing to the top of the Eiffel Tower. As of now, the American sprinter has checked the first one off the list and is on her way to achieving the second. Thomas registered the fastest time in Round 1 of the 200m sprint with a time of 22.20 seconds, securing a place in the semifinals. As she gets one step closer to her Olympic dream, she’s also getting closer to fulfilling the third item on the list. And the best part is, she’ll have her boyfriend alongside her to climb the Eiffel Tower in the City of Love!

“I’m looking forward to being able to share the experience with my friends and family—and my team, everyone who helped me get to that point,” Gabby Thomas revealed before heading to Paris. Her mother heads her cheer squad, and alongside her are Spencer McManes and his family, who flew 4,670 miles from the US to Frace. The former Yale Bulldogs quarterback, who graduated with the Class of 2013, started dating Thomas in October 2022. Since then, Gabby has found support not only in him but also in his family. Case in point: Spencer’s mother’s Instagram post following the US Olympic Trials.

After the 27-year-old’s mega sprint in the 200m event to book her ticket to Paris, Lori McManes – who was sporting a “Team Gabby” shirt – shared a carousel of images featuring Thomas, writing, “We are SO PROUD to be TEAM GABBY. That win yesterday was hard! Incredible talent on the line. We are so happy Gabby will represent our great country on Team USA. Can’t wait to cheer her on IN PARIS!!” And now that Thomas has officially kicked off her Paris campaign, her mom, boyfriend, and his family are willing her on as she strives to add to her Olympic medal tally. And achieve her goal.

Coming into the Olympics, Gabby Thomas mentioned how she wants to break the 21.34-second record that Florence Griffith Joyner set in the 200m at the 1988 Olympics. “I think it’s in reach for me at the Olympics if the conditions are right,” she said. However, she placed her rival, Shericka Jackson, before herself. “I think it’s in reach for Shericka.” Interestingly, while Gabby Thomas holds the world-leading time for 200m this year with her 21.78-second sprint from June, Jackson ranks only 19th on the list, her best time being 22.29 seconds.

Update: Before the semifinals on August 5, Shericka Jackson withdrew from the 200m event with an injury she recently picked up. And after registering a table-topping time of 21.86 seconds, Gabby Thomas booked her spot in the August 6 finals. So, for the American, it’s all to play for, and she’s hoping for not just a personal best but also a world record. 

Coming back to Gabby Thomas and Spencer McManes. While it isn’t clear how the two met, it’s safe to say they bonded over their love for sports. At 6’3”, McManes may seem like a good fit for track and field events, but he’s always been more into football and rugby. After playing for the Bulldogs from 2013 to 2016, he played rugby for the Austin Huns Rugby Club team, winning three consecutive seasons of the

As for football, the 29-year-old

Gabby Thomas found the perfect way to unwind before competing

Spencer McManes may have brought his entire family to Paris to cheer Gabby Thomas, but just a couple of days after the Games kicked off, he and Thomas left their families behind and instead spent some time with American models Cindy Crawford and Kaia Jordan Gerber as well as fashion designer Kevin Germainer.

It was an event for watchmaker Omega, and Gabby Thomas is one of the two Olympic Ambassadors for the brand. Posting a picture with McManes, Crawford, Gerber, and Germainer – all of whom were dressed in black – the sprinter wrote, “What a night 🤩 Thank you, [Omega], for your hospitality during the Games and for an incredible evening. Not a bad way to unwind before my competition starts!” 

100 days before the Olympics kicked off, the brand had another event that Thomas attended. Posting pictures from the event, one of which featured Paralympian Jessica Long, Thomas shared, “Thank you, [Omega], for having us at the ‘100 Days To Go Until Paris 2024’ event. Great conversation and even better company. It’s going to be a really special year 🙌🏽” It is, indeed, turning out to be a special year for the 27-year-old. Come August 6, do you think she can break Flo-Jo’s 36-year-old record?