Gabby Thomas is having a dream run in her life. After winning a hat-trick of gold medals in the Paris Olympics, Thomas became the face of the Alexis Ohanian-led Athlos. Despite not winning the first-ever all-women track and field meet, Thomas’ involvement played a big role in making the event a grand success. Now, the star athlete is ticking some more exciting things off her bucket list. Playing the perfect interviewer, Thomas turned heads as she interacted with the pop sensation Nicki Minaj. And guess what? Minaj fell instantly in love with the Olympian. 

Making a stellar appearance at Vogue’s Forces of Fashion event, Thomas crossed paths with Nicki Minaj momentarily. In what was a brief interaction between the two, the Olympic gold medalist seemed to have some fun questions up her sleeve for the rapper. In an instant, Thomas’ charming and bubbly personality seemed to have left a lasting impression on the ‘Super Bass’ star. Reflecting on their meetup at the event, Minaj seemed elated as she wrote on her X account, “I love her. Congrats to her. First time meeting her. Loved her instantly.”

Well, this was kind of a ’legend recognizes legend’ moment for the duo. Back in the French capital, Thomas bossed the tracks in the 200m, 4x100m, and 4x400m categories. Likewise, Nicki Minaj too has made a thumping return to the top of the charts once again. With her fifth studio album, ‘Pink Friday 2’ garnering a significant amount of hype, the rapper won the Hip-Hop Album of the Year award recently at the BET Hip-Hop Awards 2024. 

Now, coming back to Thomas, the 27-year-old was one of the few initial names that signed up for Athlos during the Paris Olympics. And with Ohanian announcing an additional bounty of $60,000 for every Athlos athlete winning Olympic gold, Thomas grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Humbling the likes of the women’s 100m champion Julien Alfred, Thomas not only secured the gold but also made Ohanian dish out his promised $60,000 to come back home with her pockets full. And just like Nicki Minaj, Ohanian was also full of praises for Gabby Thomas. 

Alexis Ohanian dumbfounded by Gabby Thomas’ incredible talents

When Alexis Ohanian thought of solving the payment problem for female athletes, he instantly thought of Gabby Thomas as his ambassador. Thus, when Thomas’ victory resulted in Ohanian burning his pocket by $60,000, the tech mogul did not have an iota of doubt. And this was not because of Thomas’ success inside the track. Apart from being a champion athlete, Gabby Thomas is so much more. The 27-year-old graduated from Harvard University, after which, she pursued a master’s degree in epidemiology from the University of Texas. 

And while this was enough success for a 3x Olympic gold medalist in her academic field, Thomas’ list of non-Olympic accolades does not end here. Working as a hypertension program director at an Austin clinic, the 27-year-old sprinter is truly an example of a champion with brains and beauty. Having established herself as a reputed name in the track and field realm, Thomas now wants to give back to the sport. 

She wants to develop the sport further in order for the upcoming generation to take up the discipline wholeheartedly. This was where Thomas’ ideals aligned with Ohanian’s visions. Together, the duo had a major success at the maiden installment of the Athlos NYC. And now, with Thomas venturing out into the glamor world as well, things are looking as shiny as ever for the triumphant Olympian.