Gabby Thomas doesn't believe in holding back. At just 27 years old, the track-and-field star has already racked up a lifetime worth of achievements. She's a Harvard University graduate with a master's degree in public health from the University of Texas, an NCAA Champion, a World Champion in the 200-meter and the 4x100 meter relay, and a three-time Olympic medalist, recently winning the 200-meter gold at the Paris Olympics .
At Harvard, Thomas studied neurobiology and global health, all while setting school and Ivy League records in the 100 meters, 200 meters and indoor 60 meters. Thomas went on to win 22 conference titles in six different events during just three years of college track and field , before she ultimately traded her last year of college eligibility to go pro with New Balance. To say that Thomas kept busy during her college years would be an understatement.
But the truth is, after her sophomore collegiate track season in 2014, Thomas found herself on the verge of burnout . "I was feeling a little bit less whole in other areas of my life." "I had gotten to a place in my college career where I felt like I had given so much to track.
I was feeling a little bit less whole in other areas of my life," Thomas tells PS in an interview conducted before the athlete qualified for the Paris Olympics, acknowledging that being a college athlete "can be very intense." Thomas was struggling throughout the mid-2010s, when high-profile athletes weren't having the candid conversat.