Gabby Thomas is one of the fastest people at the and in the world. The U.S.
runner is vying for a gold medal in the women’s 200-meter race final on Tuesday, Aug. 6. She calls sprinting her “happy place.
” “I feel so happy running when I see the finish line in my sights, I just have that boost that I know I can get there, stretch my legs out and go,” Thomas told NBC after posting the in the 200-meter semifinals on Aug. 5. The 27-year-old athlete previously competed in the Tokyo Olympic Games, winning a bronze medal in the women’s 200-meter and silver in the women’s 4x100 meter relay.
Thomas is also impressive off the track. She holds a bachelor’s degree in neurobiology from Harvard University and a master’s degree in public health from the University of Texas Health Science Center. After training three-to-six hours a day, Thomas in Austin, Texas, for people who don't have health insurance.
She leads a hypertension program there and told NBC News she ultimately dreams of running a hospital or a nonprofit to expand access to healthcare. Here’s what to know about the track and field star, and her health: While other runners might turn to high-tempo music for a boost of energy before they compete, Thomas doesn’t listen to her “pump-up playlist” at all before her race. “I want to be so Zen, I want to be so relaxed, and I want to preserve my energy,” she .
“And then the split second when the gun goes off, that’s when I want to feel that pump-up energy.” To avoid being distracted by her competitors or the crowd, she picks a point on the track and just concentrates on sprinting toward it. “You need to have a focus when you’re in that moment,” she says.
Thomas is considered a late bloomer to the sport. She initially played softball and soccer as a teen, and ran in high school, but it wasn’t until her time at Harvard that she started becoming a standout athlete in track. “It’s really easy to fall in love with running,” Thomas .
“It can be painful at times, but it’s such a beautiful sport. You set goals and go after them in the purest form — and when you achieve those goals, it’s such an addicting feeling.” “As you mature as an athlete, you realize just how important sleep is,” Thomas .
“Not just to be an elite athlete, but just to be a functional human.” She now gets at least . Sufficient sleep is important for peak athletic performance, the International Olympic Committee noted in a addressing mental health in elite athletes.
All healthy adults — whether they’re competing in the Olympics or not — need to sleep at least for optimal health, advises. The athlete makes time for recovery and rest, and follows her passions other than running. “The way I became successful in track and field was basically running track part time, and I think for me, that’s really important for my mental health,” Thomas .
“Just having other things in my life that help fulfill my goals and make me feel fulfilled.” That includes volunteering at the Austin clinic, where she likes knowing she’s making a difference in people’s lives. Thomas also spends time with her dog, a pug named Rico.
The athlete says she gets a lot of emotional support from her furry companion. When things “aren’t going super well, it’s easy to feel like I’m a failure. Instead of sitting in that, I got a friend.
Adopting Rico is the best thing I ever did,” Thomas told . The sprinter makes room for Pilates in her routine, embracing the way her body shakes during the intense core workout. She describes it as “really hard,” but also relaxing.
“Pilates is humbling,” Thomas told . “As an Olympian in that room, not being able to do a lot of the exercises that they’re doing, you really realize how many small muscles that you don’t activate every day.” Pilates can be done on a mat or on a reformer machine.
When TODAY’s Craig Melvin , he called it “perhaps the most intense exercise” he’d ever done. The sprinter is 5 feet, 10 inches tall, according to her . She has a twin brother, Andrew, and three younger siblings — Desi, Tyler and Kim, according to her Olympic profile.
A. Pawlowski is a TODAY health reporter focusing on health news and features. Previously, she was a writer, producer and editor at CNN.
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