Gabby Thomas relives childhood memories with an adorable picture from her first year of track

Olympian Gabby Thomas shared an adorable photo from her debut year in track and field on social media. The US sprinter recently made her second appearance at the Grand Slam Track event in Philadelphia, earning a second-place finish, clocking a strong 22.10s, and winning another medal.

As a pre-teen, Gabby Thomas had her heart set on playing softball with her friends, and track at the time held little appeal. She once described how 'just running in circles' didn’t seem like fun. It was her mother who insisted Thomas give track a try, signing her up for her first practice.

She has mentioned getting frustrated and unmotivated, especially during her middle school years when the sport simply didn’t excite her. Eventually, her interest in the sport developed as she began to thrive through the incredible effort she put in. Over time, she grew into one of the country’s most versatile sprinters, excelling in the 100m dash, 200m dash, and 4x400m relay.

On Saturday, June 7, Thomas posted a photo from her first year of track on her Instagram story. She reminisced about her early beginnings, captioning the post:

“my first year of track 😭”

followed by:

Hi @lenagandev

Screenshot of Instagram story | IG/@gabbythomas

Thomas has also made her mark on the international track stage, winning three medals at the Paris Games and two at the Tokyo Olympics.

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Gabby Thomas reflects on her Philadelphia Grand Slam Track event

Grand Slam Track - Philadelphia - Source: Getty

Gabby Thomas kicked off her 2025 season with an impressive win at the Texas Relays, where she clinched gold. Since then, she has appeared at all the Grand Slam Track events, most recently competing at the third stop in Philadelphia.

At Franklin Field, she finished fourth in the 100m. In the 200m, she earned her sprint podium once again, though she narrowly missed the short sprint title to Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. After the event, Thomas shared a heartfelt note on Instagram that read:

“Not the Slam results I hoped for, but when you race as often as I do, you can’t win ’em all. On the bright side, this is the best I’ve ever run at this point in the season!! Heading back home to continue training hard. I’m so, so grateful to everyone who continues to support me on my journey—win or lose, rain or shine. I love this sport sm and I’ll see you guys on the track very soon!!! 🫶🏽🤞🏽”(P.S. Philly, you were absolutely incredible!!?)

Gabby Thomas will next race at the final stop of the Grand Slam Track series in Los Angeles, scheduled to take place from June 27 to 29.