Everything happens for a reason. Isn’t that how the saying goes? Gabby Thomas made her incredible debut during the Tokyo Games. With 21.61s, the sprinter entered the competition as the second-fastest woman in the 200m dash. But the road to the prize was as challenging as ever. She locked heads with track and field stars like Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and Christine Mboma at the Olympia stadium. As a result, she had to settle for a third-place finish with 21.87s on the clock. 

It took her three long years to claw her way back to the top, and that’s what she did amid a thunderous cheer at Stade de France. Even though Thompson-Herah walked away with the gold in the Japanese capital, the Jamaican and her counterpart didn’t contest in the City of Light. As a result, the American surged past her fiercest competitor, Julien Alfred, bagging the Olympic gold in 21.83s. While Gabby Thomas had finally accomplished her dream, it was never hers to begin with.

Gabby Thomas wasn’t all about the sport initially

The 27-year-old has stated that she “was pretty much born athletic.” However, she grew up enjoying a completely different sport. During grade school, Gabby Thomas played sports like soccer and softball. But her mother, Jennifer, wanted her to pursue track and field because she admired the most decorated female U.S. track athlete of all time, Allyson Felix. When the sprinter appeared in a casual sit-down interview on the Set the Pace podcast, she reiterated how the sport was never on her radar.

Yet the Olympian clarified, “But I, at no point in my life, felt like my mom was pressuring me to do anything. I never felt like I was being forced to get good grades. I never felt like I was being forced to do any type of activity or be a great athlete.” She compared her experience to the French phrase laissez faire, which means ‘allowed to do’. As long as the 27-year-old was doing her best, her mother had no complaints.

So, how did it all begin? “She actually took it upon herself to take me off the softball signup sheet and sign me up for track. So, I… I really had no choice,” Gabby Thomas confessed. Jennifer had an inkling that the sprinter was fast, so her mother forced her to switch to the sport during high school. As frustrating as it was, Thomas eventually gave in. This is where her mom took a backseat. All she wanted to do was give her a gentle nudge. Beyond that, the sprinter stated she never felt any pressure for anything. 

“I never felt like I had to be the best or I had to do anything that I didn’t want to do.” Her family only expected her to give it a fair chance and do her best. According to the 27-year-old, any goals or motivation came from within. However, the pièce de résistance for her was watching Allyson Felix during the U.S. Olympic Trials leading up to the 2008 Beijing Games. Like her mother, Thomas grew fond of the athlete, acting as the final push to pursue the sport. Yet, her road to success wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. 

The Olympian is grateful for her mother’s support despite hardships

Jennifer Randall had an incredibly difficult life growing up. The sprinter revealed that her mother grew up dirt poor in Mobile, Alabama, with nine siblings. Things were so grim that they often struggled to keep the lights on. However, she refused to let that tie her down and studied at Duke University on a scholarship. 

Raising twins is no easy feat, but Randall did her best to support and raise her children well. When Gabby Thomas was 10, Jennifer relocated the entire family to Massachusetts. Why, you ask? She initially had a chance to complete a PhD but gave it up when times got tough. Yet, when she could finally pursue it at Emory University, she picked up odd jobs like working at a daycare and waitressing to make ends meet.

There were times when she and her twin brother, Andrew, would accompany their mother to her evening classes because no babysitter was available. But this didn’t stop Jennifer. She tirelessly worked towards her dream because she wanted to do better for herself and her children.

Gabby Thomas revealed how watching her work, attending school, and looking after them without complaining didn’t feel like an extraordinary feat. She’d watched her mother do it all the time. But she now realizes how difficult it would have been for her. In fact, Jennifer’s struggles inspired her to do better for herself too. The sprinter has a bachelor’s degree in neurobiology from Harvard, a master’s degree in epidemiology, and 3 shiny Olympic golds. No matter what she chooses to do, her mother will always be by her side.