American sprinter Gabby Thomas — who stole hearts while winning three gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics — has revealed her one surprising weakness in running, to the surprise of a lot of fans.
Thomas stopped running, for once, and sat down for an appearance on the Today show Tuesday morning, even greeting people on the plaza who waited to see the Harvard graduate show off her gold.
During the interview, Thomas noted how happy she is to finally relax, but she also pointed out how the break won’t be long-lasting because, in six weeks, she will begin training for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
The gold medalist also mentioned that she and Today show co-host Shanielle Jones bonded as they discussed running. Though Jones has emphasized that she’s not a runner, she completed the 26-mile New York Marathon last year, which so impressed Gabby that she made a startling admission.
Gabby admitted that while she runs extremely fast, she cannot actually run very far.
In fact, when co-host Craig Melvin asked her if she can run the marathon like Jones did, Gabby flat out said, “No.” She then claimed that the furthest she runs is just one mile, which received a surprised response from the hosts.
She further explained, “It’s really difficult for us. It’s a different type of training — training for sprinting. It’s completely different. So, we don’t get a lot of that mileage in.”
When Thomas begins training again next month, it’s safe to say she won’t be training for the Olympic marathon. Until then, she’s not sure what to do with her time, but she emphasized, “I’m really excited to have a pizza.”
Gabby would be outrun in a marathon by Shanielle Jones, and is excited to have pizza? This might be the first time ever that a Harvard grad who is also an Olympic gold medalist is actually relatable.