“Doping coaches should be banned for life from coaching in the sport. Whether you were banned while competing as an athlete or caught distributing as a coach (for some, both). idc idc idc,” declared Gabby Thomas on her social media earlier this month, expressing her frustration with USADA and its disappointing approach to her case in 2020. Five years ago, she faced a provisional suspension for allegedly missing three anti-doping tests in a year. Though the suspension ban was lifted later after she submitted evidence, Thomas continued to urge USADA to focus strictly on eliminating those who resort to illicit practices. And guess what? She’s finally found some strong support for her call this time.

Thomas further explained that athletes should never train under coaches who have a history of doping. The 28-year-old believes that the sport should be pursued with honesty and integrity; as some athletes and coaches don’t follow this principle, and they often care about is performance and fame. Now the question arises: if an athlete tests positive for a banned substance, should their coach be punished alongside the athlete?

When the exact question was asked to Nigerian-American triple jumper and Olympian Olumide Olamigoke, he fully agreed with Thomas, and responded, “I’m inclined to agree.” He acknowledged that athletes bear the primary responsibility if they test positive for a banned substance, but stressed that coaches should not be given a free pass.“If you are a coach, and the coach-athlete relationship is such an intimate situation, of course we, as athletes, are responsible. We need to be responsible for what goes into our body, what we’re eating, and all these different things. But especially when you have younger and impressionable athletes—I will say this: impressionability goes beyond age. You don’t have to be young to be impressionable. “

He further added, “If you have a lot of people who are impressionable and trust their coaches, and that coach then turns right around and manipulates the situation so that they can get their own shine on the back of the athletes, I have seen it happen close to me. I wholeheartedly agree. I believe if you are a coach proliferating that, then you should get punished too.”

Gabby Thomas and now Olumide Olamigoke believe that USADA needs to reform its policies for the betterment of the sport. This is not the first time the five-time Olympic medalist has raised her voice for better treatment of athletes.

In fact, as a vocal critic of the visibility and marketability of track and field in America, Thomas joined forces with Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian to establish a platform with a vision of bringing resources for advancing women’s track.

Gabby Thomas has been a big contributor to women-centric sports

Last year, Gabby Thomas and Alexis Ohanian unveiled the 776 Invitational, a groundbreaking women-only track event. Speaking at the Business of Women’s Sports Conference in New York City, they announced plans for the competition, which offers the largest-ever prize purse for a women’s sporting event: $60,000 for first place, $25,000 for second, and $10,000 for third, according to Sportico. Thomas believes women have long been sidelined in sports, but with events like this, that is finally changing.

She has long been a supporter of women in the sport and has been investing in it alongside Ohanian. Apart from her career as a sprinter, Thomas is also a clinic specialist. While talking to the Vogue, she stated, “I’m a director of the hypertension-prevention program. We have a panel of patients who are prediabetic or hypertensive, and we monitor them closely and make sure that they’re getting all the medication and appointments they need and communicating about their current lifestyle and any problems.”

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She further added, “It’s about maintaining a close relationship that transcends, in some ways, the traditional patient-doctor relationship. So that’s what I do! I work with and train the volunteers, and we keep the program running.” Whether in sports or her personal life, Gabby Thomas has always been ambitious and outspoken against injustice.