“Proud Is an Understatement”: Gabby Thomas Celebrates Morolake Akinosun’s Retirement and Bold New Beginnings

Morolake Akinosun, an Olympic and World Champion, officially announced her retirement from track and field. She received numerous heartfelt messages from family, friends, and other athletes. Gabby Thomas joined the train of support, proud of her excellent career and thrilled about her future ambitions.

Akinosun took to Instagram to announce her retirement to her massive fanbase. In the post, she wrote a lengthy caption and included affectionate remarks for the significant people in her life in the images she shared.

One of the slides featured Akinosun and Thomas and a collage of her other acquaintances. The retired athlete penned a sweet note on the image:

“My friends, some pictured, a lot not. Somehow, y’all managed to find the balance of making me feel ‘normal’ while accepting and acknowledging that my lifestyle was not.“

Akinosun admitted that while she posted photos of her friends, many of them were left out. However, she was grateful for the opportunity to meet these influential people on her quest to become a track great. The 30-year-old stated that the people around her made her feel normal by accepting her lifestyle.

“Thank you for giving me an outlet to enjoy life. Thank you for carrying me, literally and figuratively, through one of the hardest seasons of my life. For every race that was watched, message that was sent & prayer that was said – you were all very much a part of this journey.“

Akinosun went on to say that these people were one of her most important support systems in her life, as they were present throughout her most memorable moments as an Olympic and World Champion and during her challenging track and field seasons.

“Thank you for knowing that my physical absense was not an absence of my love. I cannot wait to be with you and not have to ‘I have practice in the morning.’“

While she will no longer compete on the track, she was excited about the opportunity of embarking on a new adventure with the same companions. The moment Thomas saw the Instagram post, she reshared it with a heartfelt note:

“My girl is gonna crush it at GST and in life. Proud is an understatement.“

The three-time Olympic gold medalist knew the retired athlete’s future objectives. However, when Akinosun’s spectacular track career ended, Thomas was more than proud.

pic.twitter.com/CbYFEzU7Jb

— Sam John (@SamJohn1190) September 12, 2024

The retired athlete will take on a new role as head of athlete relations for the upcoming Grand Slam Track event. This will be an entirely new chapter in her life, and one of her main goals is to become more than just a legendary athlete.

BREAKING NEWS: 2016 Rio Olympics and 2017 World Championship 4x100m gold medalist Morolake Akinosun has been named to the @GrandSlamTrack staff as head of athlete relations.

Akinosun, who announced her retirement from her professional track career earlier today, joins Grand Slam… pic.twitter.com/hogKoHk7xA

— FloTrack (@FloTrack) September 10, 2024

Michael Johnson’s event will be on many athletes’ schedules in the 2025 season. The track veteran was determined to establish rivalries that would bring plenty of action four times a year for the community.