Healthy Again, Gabby Thomas Explains Why She's Skipping US Nationals — and Loving It

Gabby Thomas is one of the best sprinters in the world. She won the 200-meter race at the 2024 Paris Olympics and is already thinking about doing it again at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. This weekend, the US track and field championships are being held in New York — but Thomas is not competing. She says she is healthy and happy, and she has some very good reasons for sitting this one out.

Last year was a tough one for Thomas. She dealt with a painful Achilles tendon that slowed her down and eventually kept her from racing. Instead of saying she was 'injured,' she chose to think of herself as 'healing.' That small change in the way she thought about things made a big difference. 'You are setting up to come back even better,' Thomas said. 'Every time that I've had an injury, I've always come back stronger and better and faster.'

Now 29 years old, Thomas is having a strong 2026 season. She has run the 200 meters in under 22 seconds five times already this year. That gives her 20 sub-22-second runs in her career — more than any other woman at that distance. She skipped nationals because the meet did not fit into her busy international racing schedule. She flew to New York anyway, though, to cheer on teammates she shares a sponsor with.

Thomas has some exciting events coming up. One of them is the World Athletics Ultimate Championships, where the top finisher can win $150,000. She is also competing in Athlos, a track league made just for women. Athlos was started by Alexis Ohanian and is now in its third year. Star sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson won the 100 meters at the most recent Athlos meet.

Thomas also has a big life event to plan alongside her racing. Last spring, she got engaged to Spencer McManes, a former Yale quarterback. Thomas herself went to Harvard, and they plan to get married in October. Some people might think planning a wedding during track season would be stressful, but Thomas disagrees. 'I always say, you make time for what you care about and what you want to do, so if you love it, you'll do it,' she said.

When her running career is over, Thomas wants to work in women's health. She studied neurobiology and public health in college and later earned a master's degree in public health from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. She believes women's healthcare does not get enough attention or money. 'There's a lot of room for improvement,' Thomas said, and she hopes to be part of making things better.

Thomas has also been speaking out about online harassment of female athletes. She said people who bet on sports sometimes target women athletes when results don't go their way. She pointed out that only one group of people harasses her, 'and it's never women.' Off the track, she has been reading books by writer Bell Hooks, who wrote about race and feminism. Those books have reminded her that life is about much more than just sprinting fast.