The USA and Jamaica meeting on common ground on track and field? Difficult to visualize, no? But that is what Gabby Thomas stands for. She stood as the USA’s best hope in 200m in Paris. And she has lived up to that. Despite initially trailing, she came back fiercely in the final meters and destroyed the field with a blistering 21.83s on the board. It was probably one of those rare occasions when American and Jamaican fans would cheer together for the winner. But the biggest thing is to win triplet medals after recovering from a very big scare.

Besides her athletic prowess, Gabby Thomas is an embodiment of the rich tapestry of cross-culture. With roots intertwined in both American and Jamaican cultures, her background and ethnicity do speak volumes to justify why she is unstoppable. Gabby’s father, Desmond Thomas, who had a football career at Duke University as a defensive back, is originally from Jamaica. So, is it the Jamaican roots that speak for her?

What is Gabby Thomas’ ethnicity?

Born to an American mother and a Jamaican father, Gabby Thomas is proud of her African-American ancestry. Gabby was asked this ahead of the Monaco leg of the Wanda Diamond League in 2023. Gabby’s reply was astonishing. “Everyone knows that I am Jamaican because I do believe that that’s where I get my fast roots from. I’m just not going to sugarcoat it that’s what it is,” she had put it straight. Further, Gabby also elaborated on how strong her Jamaican connection was.

“My grandfather is actually Jamaican. He lives there, and he is from there and then my dad didn’t grow up in Jamaica, but he is Jamaican and he always liked to bring the culture home with me um make sure that I was proud to be Jamaican,” Gabby had told back then. It seems that it is this straight-faced acceptance by Gabby that gets her a lot of love from Jamaican fans on social media. And Gabby was quick to reciprocate that.

“I do really love the fan base in Jamaica. I mean they’re so amazing and supportive,” Gabby had said, acknowledging the love. In Paris, Jamaican fans must have been particularly happy for Gabby since in a shocking development, Jamaica’s star contenders like Shericka Jackson, Elaine Thompson-Herah, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce have all pulled out of the competition. So Jamaica had their small share of pride with Gabby’s 200m gold. And Gabby definitely counts on that.

“We grew up you know loving track and my family has always been a big track family. And so if I can just run well and make my grandfather and my dad proud then I’m doing my job,” Gabby once said. Indeed, she has made both nations proud. This was all about Gabby Thomas’ ethnicity and her making both nations proud. But what religion does Gabby Thomas follow?

What is Gabby Thomas’ religion?

Though the Olympic gold medalist’s religion is not publicly declared, while studying at Harvard Summer School, she took a trip to Senegal, which helped her to understand their religion better. As per “Runner Space,” Gabby once said, “The way they view each other, the way they view religion, everyone is so personable. People matter so much more there. It’s not just about money, jobs and getting things done.” Knowing that Senegal is 97 percent Muslim and that religion will be so important to the country’s culture and education was one of the things that made her excited to live there.

Gabrielle Thomas said, “You kind of have to feel something when everyone around you is so strong in those beliefs. I wouldn’t say that it changed my perspective of how I view religion, but it was amazing how much I didn’t understand about religion.” She further added, “There’s a lot to take in and a lot to learn. It was really surprising to see how differently people live, just very strict in their religion and how the culture is so affected by religion. It’s actually amazing just how much that did affect me there because it’s such a big part of their culture.” However, her faith became strong after the health scare she faced back in 2021.

Gabby Thomas on finding faith after a health scare: “I wasn’t very religious, but it’s hard not to be”

When Gabby Thomas stood up on the podium in the Paris Olympics, her tears of joy were proof of her hard work, dedication, and remembering the pain she had to go through in the journey to heal her wound. That day, she not only won gold but also became one of the fastest women. What had happened? Well, in 2021, when she was preparing for the US Olympic Trials, everything suddenly changed. A simple MRI of the lower back showed lingering hamstring pain, but it turned into a liver tumor. And the word cancer in itself took a toll on her health, as she recalled, “The more I started talking to doctors, the more they started saying the word ‘cancer,’” she recalled. Though she continued her training, her mental health was not very good. “It felt crazy mentally,” Gabby said.

Despite such an intense diagnosis, the track and field star showed her resilience and strength, gaining silver and bronze medals at the Tokyo Olympics. “​I ended up praying so much; honestly, prior to that I wasn’t very religious, but when things like that are happening, it’s very hard not to be,” Gabby shared. But that wasn’t it. Gabby later used that scar to win triplets at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She won gold in 200 m, and additionally two golds in the women’s 4x400m relay and 4x100m events. Don’t you wonder where she inherited her academic roots from?

Gabby Thomas’ balancing act as she strives for excellence in dual careers

Gabby’s mother, Jennifer Randall, is an acclaimed academician. She works as the Dunn Family Endowed Professor of Psychometrics and Test Development at the University of Michigan’s School of Education. Jennifer has a PhD from Emory University in 2007 and she has also worked as a professor at UMass Amherst. Like the way Gabby pays homage to her Jamaican roots, her mother’s influence also spoke of it as she graduated from Harvard University in neurobiology.

Later, she completed her master’s in epidemiology from the University of Texas in 2023. And she pulled it off while training for the Paris Olympics! So how did she manage to pursue two intensive careers together? “Balancing it is just about doing what I love. It is great to go from track practice to studies. I have a bad track session, but instead of going home and thinking about it repeatedly, I get on with my academic work. And instead of sitting around when I have done my work, I get to go out and do track. I am just one of those people who needs that balance, and I really appreciate that,” Gabby had said previously. And she has taken a cue from her mother for this.

Gabby’s parents separated when she was young. While growing up, watching her mother’s journey from raising her as a single parent with little money to attaining a respected position in academia instilled a belief in her that anything is possible. “I think watching her as I was growing up and how hard she worked, that’s impacted me in ways that I probably can’t even recognize,” Gabby had told to Olympics.com. But interestingly, she was not inclined to track and field initially.

Gabby was into softball besides putting academics in the upper berths of her priority list. Gabby might never have thought of taking up track seriously if she had not been inspired by the American track legend, Allyson Felix. It was in 2008 when Thomas saw Felix’s power on the track.

Watching Felix not only qualify for the Olympics but win a silver in Beijing in 2008 and then finally grab the gold in the 2012 London Olympics had a lasting impact on Gabby. Starting from there, today Gabby also rules the track on the 200-meter dash– strong forte for Allyson Felix as well. Interestingly, similar to Felix’s medal journey in the Olympics, Thomas too secured the golden victory in her second Olympic quest.