Track sensation Gabby Thomas joined fellow sprinters Tamara Clark, Torrie Lewis, and Lynna Irby-Jackson for a photo shoot ahead of what promises to be an intense showdown at the Athlos track meet in New York this week.
Fresh off a stellar season that includes three Paris Olympics gold medals, the Harvard neurobiology alum is gearing up for the one-day event at Icahn Stadium on Thursday.
Thomas’ longtime coach, Tonja Buford-Bailey, shared images from their home track where Thomas warmed up for the shoot with Clark, Lewis, and Irby-Jackson.
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“Getting loose before the @athlos shoot,” Buford-Bailey captioned her Instagram post. The runners stretched and moved their limbs before the cameras rolled.
The 27-year-old Thomas, known for her lightning speed, is excited about the meet, which will wrap up her season. She plans to spend her time off studying and volunteering.
Thomas says the Athlos meet is “literally going to be the track event of the year,” while Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian adds that the track stars at the event “are about to be global icons.”
Athlos, a unique event in the track world, draws the fastest women athletes and offers the largest purse ever for a women’s track event. Co-founded by tennis legend Serena Williams and Ohanian, the female-only meet will award $60,000 to each winner of the six races, with total prize money for each race reaching $110,500.
After a grueling year of training and racing while battling back from a hamstring injury in 2022, Thomas aims to inspire the next generation of runners. She’s been promoting the event on social media, telling fans where to tune in: “Let’s freaking go!!!!” she wrote on X, encouraging followers to watch the meet on YouTube, X, ESPN, and DAZN.
Thomas, who also holds a master’s in public health and advocates for women in sports, will headline the 200-meter race at Icahn Stadium. Among her opponents are Paris 2024 bronze medalist Brittany Brown and Clark. “Y’all are STARS,” one fan commented on X.
The Athlos meet marks Thomas’ first track appearance since the Paris Olympics. As the curtain falls on the 2024 season, all eyes will be on Thomas and the other sprinters as they battle for supremacy.
