Gabby Thomas has been sitting out of the track scene for way too long. The 2025 season has been far from ideal for the Olympic gold medalist, whose personal best this season has been 21.95s making her only the fourth fastest woman. Now that her Achilles injury has been healing up nicely, Gabby Thomas is back with fireworks, which might dethrone the likes of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and rising hurdling sensation, Femke Bol.

During her recent appearance on the Welcome To The Party podcast, Abby Wambach asked Gabby Thomas if there was any race she’s always wanted to run but hasn’t tried yet. And the answer was – drumroll – 400m hurdles. The 200m bronze medalist at the Tokyo Olympics said, “I might try the 400m hurdles. I think I’m built for it… I’m not built like a traditional sprinter. I’ve more like a 400m hurdle build.”

As Wambach pondered if this could be “breaking news”, her co-host, Julie Foudy’s jaw dropped as she incredulously wondered the reason behind the wish – Is it “like, Sydney’s left that one, I’m gonna go do it?” That remark led to a bit of laughter. But Thomas seemed to have already made up her mind when she said, “I think we can try that one…” 

In case you’re wondering, McLaughlin-Levrone hasn’t permanently bid adieu to the 400m hurdles. She just took a detour this year to break the monotony and to present herself with other challenges to see how she’d fare. And she fared beyond well. She adapted to the demands of 400m flat sprinting and even set a record sub 48s, 47.78s to be precise, shattering the mark of 48s after 40 years. It seems like Gabby Thomas is in pursuit of something similar. 

The makings of a true athlete include not restricting oneself and capabilities to one discipline. To Billie Jean King, the allure of the 400m hurdles seemed incomprehensible. Being built differently can’t be the only reason for the affinity. Traditional flat sprinting is definitely much easier and more straightforward than jumping hurdles. But that precisely is the reason. It isn’t easy, but she believes it could be her calling.

Gabby Thomas reveals the reason behind her affinity for the hurdles

When Billie Jean King asked about which track and field event excited Thomas as a child, her answer encompassed all about jumping. Gabby Thomas answered, “I never tried a hurdle in my entire life. I just did what looked fun. The 100m and 200m is what everyone wants to do. And I did long jump. I did long jump in college, too. But I had to give that up.” 

Could this be the reason she seeks to make a jump? The answer lies in her competitive nature. She believes that she can do a really good job in the 400m hurdles. She stated, “I wanna try and I wanna see what I could do.” As the 2026 season approaches, Gabby Thomas’ hint at trying the 400m hurdles adds an unexpected twist to the women’s track landscape. With McLaughlin-Levrone temporarily shifting focus to the flat 400m and Femke Bol reigning over the hurdles, Thomas’ entry could reshape the event’s dynamics.

Sitting out the 2025 World Athletics Championships owing to an Achilles’ injury gave Gabby Thomas a lot of time to think. But had she participated, there is no doubt that she would’ve flipped the script on podium finishes in the 4x100m relays and the 200m dash. Now that she might be eyeing the 400m hurdles, McLaughlin-Levrone and Femke Bol would need to watch out. What are your thoughts? Drop us a comment.