Gabby Thomas has spent years proving what girls can achieve in sports. But the three-time Olympic champion is now looking beyond the track at girls who may never get the chance to discover what they can do. That shift is especially interesting for Thomas, who once said professional sports were not something she originally aspired to pursue. After studying at Harvard and earning degrees in neurobiology, global health and epidemiology, she is now bringing that academic background into a different conversation through her writing about girls and sports.

Thomas recently stepped into the role of an author for TIME Ideas, writing about the gap between girls who want to play sports and those who actually get the opportunity. In her September 30 article, “Half of Girls Who Want to Play Sports Never Get the Chance,” she turned her attention to an issue that starts long before athletes reach the Olympic stage.

Thomas highlighted the Women’s Sports Foundation’s inaugural WSF Sport Report, which found that 54% of girls aged 8 to 18 who have never played organized sports said they wanted to. For Thomas, the number points to girls who may be interested but never get the chance to discover what sports can offer.

“Somewhere among those girls is a child who could discover the sport she loves,” Thomas wrote. She added that this could be “a future captain. A coach. An Olympian. Maybe even a champion.” For Thomas, though, the value of sports does not depend on reaching the professional level. She wrote that sports can shape “health outcomes, confidence, leadership, and a sense of belonging” long after competition ends.

Her own story helps explain why that first opportunity matters. Thomas started running track at around 12 years old without a plan to become a professional athlete or Olympic champion. She simply got the opportunity to try something new, and that chance eventually took her to Harvard and the Olympic podium. “I was a kid who got the chance to try something, discovered what I was capable of,” Thomas wrote.

Her academic journey adds another layer to that message. At Harvard, Thomas competed while studying neurobiology and global health, combining athletics with an interest in science and research. She later continued her education in epidemiology and has previously worked on academic research, including a paper examining racial disparities in sleep disorders. Now, she is using that research-minded side of herself in a different way.

Rather than writing only about her own experiences as an athlete, Thomas is examining the larger systems that determine which girls get the chance to participate in sports. The WSF report also found a gap in how girls feel about belonging as they get older. Among children aged 8 to 10, 80% of girls and boys said sports were “for someone like me.” Among girls aged 14 to 18, that figure fell to 66%, compared with 73% for boys.

Thomas argued that getting girls into sports is only the beginning. “We have to give them reasons to stay,” she wrote. Thomas pointed to changes across college athletics and how decisions around athlete opportunities could affect the next generation of women competing beyond youth sports.

She also highlighted a surprising gap in awareness around Title IX. According to the WSF report, 79% of girls surveyed had never heard of the law, while 55% of parents said the same. Thomas believes that knowledge matters because the next generation needs to understand the opportunities available to them. As she wrote, “Our responsibility is not simply to benefit from the doors that have been opened. It is to make sure they remain open.”

That idea captures what Thomas is doing with her latest work. She has spent years using her speed to show what is possible on the track. Now, through her writing, she is using her voice, academic background and research experience to focus on the girls who are still waiting for their first opportunity. “The greatest legacy of this moment,” Thomas wrote, “will be how we work together to give more girls the chance to find out how far they can go.”

But Thomas’ work for girls and women in sports is not limited to writing. She has also used her platform to support young athletes and create more opportunities for them.

Gabby Thomas’ growing role in supporting the next generation

Thomas became a Women’s Sports Foundation trustee at the start of 2025, joining the organization in its work to improve access and opportunities for girls and women in sports. The foundation has also highlighted her efforts to encourage BIPOC girls to pursue careers in STEM. That same year, Thomas co-wrote a Women’s Health article with WSF President Scout Bassett about the impact women’s sports can have on society. The two also encouraged people to support young athletes by volunteering, coaching and mentoring.

Then, in January 2026, Thomas joined the Athletes for Hope Athlete Leadership Council, taking another step toward working with young people through sports. She began supporting the organization’s CHAMPS program, which connects athletes with underserved elementary-school students through sports, mentorship, wellness and leadership activities.

“Sport has given me so much, and community has always been at the heart of my journey,” Thomas said, explaining that she wanted to use her platform to give back.

By August 2026, Thomas was also serving as a CHAMPS Ambassador and joining virtual sessions with students. The program had reached more than 10,000 young people during the year, giving Thomas another way to connect her own experience in sports with the next generation.