How often do we celebrate the courage of chasing two seemingly impossible dreams at once? Regular people even struggle to master one skill or discipline, but American track and field star Gabby Thomas has mastered two. Track master—everybody knows, but she also puts in many hours at a healthcare clinic. Another fourth-year medical student with a strong ambition is balancing two disciples smoothly and proving the power of perseverance and determination. Who is that personality?

South African runner Edmund du Plessis is also balancing his dream and his medical studies. For Thomas and Plessis, balancing between two vastly different areas—sports and medicine—isn’t just a dream; it’s their reality, and they are living that every day. Their stories demonstrate that the routines hold surprisingly powerful forces, making them the perfect way to combine a result-oriented approach.

What led Edmund du Plessis to follow his passion?

The Spoed Volstruis earned the title of South Africa’s fourth-fastest athlete in 800 m from a decent middle-distance runner in just one year. In the beginning, it is always tough to cope, but when you are passionate about anything, things come in line. Du Plessis told Olympics.com, “I opened the year with a relatively okay time and felt, Wow, that wasn’t really difficult. As the season progressed, I just got faster and faster, and it is a matter of getting things right and feeling positive.”

The South African running star has to switch between studies and sports, as both come at different times during the year. What does he do to overcome that? Du Plessis calls his juggling between track and medicine ‘Blocks.’ When he needs to focus on his track, he slows down his academics, and vice versa, and the strategy has worked for him until now.

Edmund du Plessis is pursuing his fourth year of a medical degree at the University of Pretoria. However, due to his busy 2024 calendar, he will take some of his fourth-year classes next year. This again gives him the window to prepare better for the World Athletics Championships, which are scheduled to be held in Tokyo. But how did he manage his previous years? The pandemic proved to be a blessing in disguise for him, as he got the classes conducted in virtual mode, allowing him to watch recorded classes.

Moving on, when asked about the yearly target as a track athlete, Plessis explained to Olympics.com and said, “I would like to run a PB every year and continue to bring down my times to a truly world-class level.” With his sights set on the future, du Plessis remains poised to achieve even greater heights in both athletics and medicine.

The 22-year-old Plessis set his personal best record at 48.29s in 400m and even won the 800 meters at the South African Athletics Championships in 2023 and 2024 with a new lifetime best of 1:44.92 at the 2024 event. He even reached the Paris Olympic’s 800m semi-finals. That’s not all. Edmund du Plessis missed the qualifying mark by only 0.22s at Pietermaritzburg’s 800 m national title and stopped the clock at 1:44.92.

Now that we have seen the Plessis’ track performance, let’s get the similarities that Thomas and Du Plessis have.

Both du Plessis and Thomas balancing both career and passion

27-year-old Gabby Thomas has recently won her maiden Olympic gold in 200m and is also a medical professional. Though the disciplines of both the track and field stars are the same, they differ in majors in medicine. Thomas is a neurobiology and global health graduate from Harvard University. Both the track stars are the inspiration to the youth to work hard.

Thomas won three golds in different events at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the inspiring trait? She was diagnosed with a liver tumor just before her Tokyo Olympics trials; not everyone has this much courage. With due treatment, she continued her practice for the trails.

Moving on, while advising young athletes, Edmund du Plessis said, “Set long-term goals and be patient with yourself. Sport teaches you discipline and determination that will pay off in every other aspect of your life.” Balancing sports with the rigorous medical curriculum is no easy feat, yet Plessis manages to find common ground.

With medicine study, it has been a tough journey for Edmund du Plessis, but he has surpassed it all. As a fourth-year medical student, Edmund Du Plessis’ story is one of grit, balance, and unyielding ambition—a reminder that success doesn’t come with limits. As time passes, it is to be seen what more surprises Plessis throws.