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American Gabby Thomas (above) won her first Olympic gold medal Tuesday in the women’s 200-meter sprint, solidifying her rising stardom on and off the track.
Thomas defeated silver medalist Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred—who won gold in the 100-meter sprint—and fellow American Brittany Brown, who earned bronze.
This marks new territory for Thomas, 27, who took home bronze in the 200-meter race at the Tokyo Olympics, and a silver medal as part of Team USA’s 4×100-meter relay squad. That relay team, which includes 100-meter sprint silver medalist Sha’Carri Richardson, will look for another medal in Paris later this week.
Not Slowing Down
Now entering the peak of her athletic career, Thomas is winning big after already making a significant difference in her sport. She helped Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian come up with the idea for a new women’s-only track and field event, the 776 Invitational, which will debut in September.
At that upcoming track meet, all participants will take home prize money, with $60,000 for the winner, $25,000 for the runner-up, $10,000 for third, $8,000 for fourth, $5,000 for fifth, and $2,500 for sixth. Compare that with the Diamond League, track and field’s premier professional competition, which typically pays $10,000 to race winners and $30,000 at its season-ending event.
Thomas earns $50,000 from World Athletics for her gold medal in Paris, and another $37,500 from Team USA.
Brand Building
New Balance has sponsored Thomas since 2018, after she graduated from Harvard with a degree in neurobiology. As a professional, she moved to Austin, and last year completed a master’s degree in epidemiology from the University of Texas.
Since the Olympics began, Thomas has been capitalizing on her growing social media presence. With more than 500,000 followers on Instagram, Thomas has posted ads from Paris for skincare brand Summer Fridays, as well as Omega watches.
