Things don’t always pan out as you’d hope them to. For Gabby Thomas, the prospect of hauling a double at the upcoming Paris Games seems like a bleak one, despite the sprinter expressing her wishes to do so. Only a few days ago, the 27-year-old stated that she would go for both the 200m and the 400m events at the US Team Trials, but the latest developments might nullify her dreams.

In light of the 2024 Olympics, Gabby has been pushing herself to the limits in recent months. With a ton of events seeing her in action, Gabby is also one of the main features of Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian’s upcoming 776 Invitational, scheduled to take place after the Paris Games. However, the mounting pressure seems to have finally caught up with the Atlanta native sprinter.

Gabby Thomas makes a pivotal call

A recent update on X by Track & Field Gazette revealed Gabby’s latest decision. “Gabby Thomas has scratched the 400m at the US Olympic Trials!” reads the disappointing caption of the post, as it goes on to mention that she will instead be focusing all her efforts on the 200m event.

At this year’s Bahamas Relays, Gabby was seen pulling up her socks in spectacular fashion to help Team USA clinch gold in two events. Following those achievements, many thought Gabby would be invited by the USATF to be a member of the women’s relay team for Paris. However, that looks like a distant dream at the moment.

Fans frantic over Thomas’ surprise decision

For obvious reasons, Gabby’s fans are left heartbroken about the new development in her goals. While Thomas will be pulling out of the 400m event, her recent accomplishments in the 4x100m and 4x400m races at the World Relays have some fans hoping that she could compensate for the miss. And yet, the packed schedule set by the USATF ahead of the Paris Games is something that’s making fans speculate it had something to do with the Olympian’s decision. “Dammit… Dumb a** schedule isn’t letting US athletes be great,” commented a furious fan.

“No more 4×4?” questioned a flabbergasted Sam, who was also looking forward to seeing Gabby expand her horizons and add yet another event to her resume. The May event held in Nassau also highlighted that Thomas might have what it takes to run that extra mile, and Sam is obviously saddened over the missed opportunity to see the runner pushing the boundaries.

Like many others, Paco Hinton was also hoping that Paris would be the place where Gabby would win gold in two events, a hope that was sparked exponentially after Thomas’ last week’s revelation. With that looking like a wasted chance, Hinton is concerned about whether this move by Gabby will also prompt the USATF to plug her chances of being in the 4x400m relay team. “I wanted to see her do the double. I hope this doesn’t give the USTFA the green light to screw get over in the 4x400m,” reads his comment.

Bill is also flummoxed by what the USATF might be planning to keep the track and field hopes alive at the upcoming Olympics. “So three people on the 4X4 team may not run the 400 at the Olympic Trials?” commented the genuinely surprised fan.

However, Maliaki is of the opinion that this will only bode good things for the Olympian, considering how steep the competition will be at the 400m race. While Gabby’s personal best in the 400m is 49.68 seconds, this fan reminded that her peers are all able to surpass that mark without breaking a sweat. “Even though she’s capable of running a fast 400, it’s better to be realistic. The podium will be all sub-49s,” said this pragmatic track connoisseur.

Are you also among them who will dearly miss seeing Gabby rip the 400m race at Eugene next week? Who will you be focusing on instead, now that she has stepped down from the event? Tell us!