The sprinter might still be riding the waves of her success, but her path leading to it wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine. Gabby Thomas watched her mother navigate through every hardship life threw at her. On October 29, the Olympian spilled the beans on the Why Not Me? with Mike Jackson podcast. She would often accompany her mother and twin brother to evening classes when a babysitter wasn’t available. “We watched her, you know, work and do school and also take care of us and drive us to soccer practices and basketball practices and not complain about it, right?”

Jennifer Randall wanted to ensure her twins had every opportunity to accomplish their dreams. After getting a high school diploma, the 5x Olympic medalist’s mother attended college in Georgia and earned a spot in a PhD program at Emory University. But raising two young twins wasn’t easy, so, she decided to waitress and work at a daycare to make ends meet. “It was kind of like… this was the normal. I’m going to hustle. I’m going to grind it out because this is my dream, and I want better for myself, and I want better for you all,” she pulled the curtain back on watching her mom do it all. 

Inspired by her mother, it helped the sprinter navigate through life and realize what she wanted to do. “I want to contribute to society. There’s never been a question of, ‘Oh, am I going to hustle to get there? Am I going to grind?” If her single mother could push past adversity and build a life for herself. So why couldn’t Gabby Thomas do it herself? However, while carving a path to success, a minor bump nearly derailed her progress. 

The 27-year-old almost didn’t graduate from Harvard University

From the beginning, it was crystal clear that the sprinter wanted to navigate through the public health circuit. The only thing was that she wanted to find the right course that would aid her in balancing her athletic and academics well. This eventually led her to the neurobiology, health, global health, and public policy course at Harvard University. However, during her freshman year, she was failing her classes to the point where she would have to drop out. 

This was a huge blow for Gabby Thomas because it would affect her scholarship and future. However, she pushed through and graduated from the university in 2019 with flying colors. The sprinter then shifted her focus on continuing on the path of public health and policy, promptly shifting her base to Texas. She enrolled in the Public Health in Epidemiology course at the University of Texas. Since then, she has been thriving both on and off the tracks.

But why is the sprinter pursuing this path? “I wanted to work in health policy, and was super interested in health disparities,” the Olympian clarified. Creating a better environment in that circuit has always been her primary goal. In fact, once she retires, Gabby wants to establish a career in healthcare too. So, it’s understandable why Jennifer is pushing for a PhD already.

Gabby Thomas is in awe of her mother’s inspiring journey. But her story off the track is just as riveting – from nearly failing the course to getting a master’s, and now, being an Olympic champion, she has done it all. While the road ahead may be just as long and arduous, the sprinter will always have her resilient mother by her side.