Public perception plays a massive role in all sports and affects athletes who compete in them. However, according to Gabby Thomas, performance on the track is often not enough to dictate how an athlete gets perceived. In fact, established norms that dictate the sport as a whole often impact how favorable or unfavorable things can get for individual athletes.

During her appearance on the Why Not Me? With Mike Jackson podcast, Thomas and the host discussed how “looks” can impact nearly every aspect of a track and field athlete’s career. “Looks are absolutely a problem,” claimed the Olympian when asked about her experience. The 27-year-old even revealed how perceptions influence pay and popularity.

“They matter in terms of what kind of sponsors you’re getting, how many people pay attention to how you run,” and much more. The Olympic gold medalist even said that certain conceptions about an athlete may even lead to misconceptions about their journey. So the host asked if Gabby Thomas had ever been taken lightly because of her attractiveness.

Jackson framed his question through two hypothetical scenarios. “Like you show up in the track and field, they’re like, ‘Oh, she’s way too pretty to grind that hard.’ Or you’re trying to do something academic, (and) they’re like, ‘She’s just way too pretty to really know what she’s talking about.'” theorized Mike Jackson. The Olympian didn’t need any more hints. “You know, it’s just this dehumanization,” said Thomas, acknowledging the host’s question.

Besides facing what the host described, the five-time Olympic medalist had also seen her financial struggles get dismissed. “She has all this… She can’t possibly be struggling, she can’t possibly be going through, she can’t possibly be a hard worker,” said the Harvard graduate, citing some phrases the 200m specialist has heard in the past. But contrary to her success today, Gabby Thomas faced hardship growing up.

How Gabby Thomas’ mother inspired her daughter to beat the odds

“My mom grew up dirt poor in Mobile, Alabama.” Gabby Thomas revealed during her conversation with Jackson. While the Olympian’s mother, Jennifer Randall, earned a university degree and found a job as an educator, raising children as a single mother once again brought hardships into Randall’s life. However, the psychometrics scholar ensured her children would have the tools to succeed.

While raising Gabby Thomas and her brother alone was no easy task, Randall’s tenacity inspired her daughter. While the athlete admitted that growing up in a “low-income” home was never easy, it only made the track and field star more determined to succeed. “That put that underdog mentality in me,” said Gabby Thomas.

“I felt like I needed to prove that I belonged in every space that I was in,” the former relay world champion told The Guardian in July. Learning more about her mother’s childhood only emboldened that sense of determination. “It was kind of like… this was the normal. I’m going to hustle,” the sprinter told Jackson during the podcast.

So whether it was track and field or an epidemiology degree, Gabby Thomas has tackled every challenge with a similar tenacity. Public perception has affected her career in both positive and negative ways. However, the 27-year-old has always let her performances do the talking.