Much before the third Grand Slam Track leg kicked off in Philadelphia, we knew this one would feature some really close battles. But, this is not the race we expected an upset in. Yes, interestingly, the women’s Short Sprint race group in Philly featured a major twist. While Gabby Thomas eyed a comeback after she missed out on the GST Miami title, that dream just got a whole lot difficult after she was handed a shocking upset in her signature race!

Day 1 of the Grand Slam Track Philadelphia began with the 200m race, in a changed order from the past two slams. But Gabby Thomas seemed to have nothing to worry about. She’s the reigning 200m Olympic Champion after all. However, these hopes went south seconds after the gunshot as Thomas struggled with a slow start. What happened next? Well, she pushed but could never recover from it.

Gabby Thomas was then left to play catch-up the entire race, and she ended up losing the Grand Slam Track Philadelphia 200m gold to Melissa Jefferson-Wooden by 0.11 seconds. After being undefeated in the 200m this season so far, Thomas just had her streak ended by coming second in 22.10 seconds. This is surprisingly Thomas’ first 200m race loss since September 2024, when she came second at Athlos 2024.

Well, we get it. The weather conditions were difficult. After all, it’s drizzling down in Philly. But, it didn’t seem too big a challenge for Gabby Thomas’ expertise. However, what we didn’t expect was that Melissa Jefferson-Wooden would be so exceptionally fast today. This American just dipped to a new 21.99s personal best (the first sub-22s time of her career) to hold off Gabby Thomas on home soil for the first time in 8 months. So yes, it is a big shock in any case.

Gabby Thomas ran 11 200m races last season, losing just 2 of them. That’s how consistent her 100m record has been, which makes this loss even more shocking. Also, she was looking to turn things around this time. After Miami, Thomas sounded proud that she registered a win in the 200, as she took to X to say, “What a Slam!!! Moved to the short sprints this time and got a win in my marquee event (200m)…but not quite the overall finish I had hoped for. Heading back to Texas with some things to work on. So so grateful for everyone who continues to support me, and I’m feeling soo good about this season ahead.” 

But will her momentum still be this high after this 200m loss? Well, we’ll have to wait and watch. But there has been something that also would have given Gabby a boost recently.

Gabby Thomas is now a leader for Athlos

Yes, that very meet where Gabby Thomas lost her last 200m race for 2024 and closed her season, will be changing for her henceforth. That’s because, starting in 2026, Gabby Thomas, Sha’Carri Richardson, and Tara Davis-Woodhall would be leading their respective teams as Athlos is adapting a new team league format. And Thomas, Richardson, and Davis-Woodhall would be joining the same as adviser-owners.

This implies that, irrespective of her current loss, Gabby Thomas is truly emerging to be the face of track and field. She’s part of both the new celebrity track events, Athlos and Grand Slam Track. So clearly, she’s leading the revolution from the front. And it looks like her advocacy skills will be essential in making Athlos’ vital decisions. Also, her passion for women’s sports will help her lead the team well. So clearly, Thomas has new things to look forward to, too. Hopefully, she gets past this 200m win and turns things around on day 2 in Philadelphia.