"I've already lived in the moment" - Gabby Thomas opens up on her mental preparation for races

Gabby Thomas shared how she feels all the emotions before going into the race so that her mind makes her believe that she has already lived the moment. Thomas was last seen in action at the Grand Slam Track stop in Philadelphia.

Thomas made waves on the Paris Olympic stage, winning gold medals in the 200m, 4x100m, and 4x400m relay events. She then ran in the first edition of the Athlos NYC, taking silver in the 200m behind Brittany Brown. She continued her excellence at the 2025 Grand Slam Track League in Jamaica, winning the 200m and finishing second-place in the 400m to take the long sprints jackpot.

Thomas stormed to the 200m victory and placed fourth in the 100m in the next stop in Miami, shortly missing the overall title. Now gearing up for the upcoming events, Thomas spoke to Marie Claire host Audrey Noble, sharing how she manifests the emotions before going into her races, visualizing how the event would be for her.

"Anytime I have anything coming up, I am visualizing everything very specifically so that by the time the race happens (or whatever big event I have coming up), I already know all the emotions that went into it [and] how I'm supposed to feel. [With] everything, I get really specific. So it helps me feel like I've already lived in the moment in a way. It's literally manifestation," she said.

Thomas faced a horrific fate at the Grand Slam meet in Philadelphia, where a man verbally abused her and heckled her while she stood on the starting line. He later confessed on X that he did so to win bets on Fanduel Sportsbook.

Gabby Thomas made her feelings known after the GST Philadelphia race results

Gabby Thomas at the Grand Slam Track - Philadelphia - (Source: Getty)

Gabby Thomas was in top form going into the third GST stop in Franklin Field. She competed in the 100m, finishing fourth in the 100m and trailing podium finishers Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Tamari Davis, and Thelma Davies. In her forte event, the 200m, she won silver behind Jefferson-Wooden, who took the title in 21.99s.

Following the underwhelming run, Thomas shared a strong message on her X handle, expressing gratitude to her supporters and assuring everyone that she would return stronger.

"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 have ever ran at this at this point in the season!! 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!!!"

Gabby Thomas has a medical career besides track and field. She works at a volunteer health care clinic in Austin, Texas.