Gabby Thomas to start 2024 season at New Balance Indoor Grand Prix after missing Corky Classic in Texas

American sprinter Gabby Thomas has opted out of the Texas Tech Corky Classic 2024 event, taking place on January 19 and January 20, 2024. She was set to compete in the women’s 60m event in the Texas meet.

The 2023 World Athletics Championships 200m silver medalist will now kick off the 2024 season by participating at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, scheduled on February 4, 2024, at the TRACK at New Balance in Boston.

An insider on X (formerly Twitter) reported that he was told by Thomas regarding her absence from the Texas event. They wrote:

“Gabby Thomas 🇺🇸 has let me know that she won’t be running the 60m at the Corky Classic in Lubbock, Texas this weekend. It won’t be long till we see her in action though, as she’s scheduled to run at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix on February 4th” (via @_OwenM_).

Gabby Thomas’ biggest achievement in 2023 was winning two medals at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest. In the women’s 200m, she won her first individual medal at the Worlds, clocking 21.81 secs, to finish behind Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson (21:41s), and ahead of compatriot Sha'Carri Richardson (21.92s).

Thomas then played an instrumental role in the USA’s team's gold-medal victory in the women’s 4×100 m relay alongside teammates Tamari Davis, Twanisha Terry, and Richardson. The USA team ran a time of 41.03 seconds to set a new Championship record in the discipline.

The year 2023 also saw Thomas achieving a personal best (PB) time in the women’s 400m as she clocked 49.68s (shaving off 1.47 seconds from her previous PB). She also became the US national champion in the women’s 200m discipline on July 9.

Besides this, the 27-year-old is a two-time Olympic medalist. She clinched the bronze medal in the 200m with a timing of 21.87s. Thomas was also a member of the USA’s women’s 4×100 m relay that went on to win silver at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Gabby Thomas on running a marathon in the future

Gabby Thomas won the silver medal in the Women's 200m Final at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

In November 2023, Gabby Thomas attended the 2023 New York City Marathon to encourage her friends who were participating in the event and as a part of her collaboration with New Balance.

However, her fans assumed that she was present to compete in the marathon. In an interview with Footwear News, she clarified that she wasn’t competing in the event, stating:

"I have a couple of friends who are running, but I am not definitely — at all.”

On being asked if she is interested in participating in a marathon, the American sprinter replied:

“Maybe one day — maybe a half-marathon long after I retire,” she said.

The 2023 New York City Marathon witnessed Tamirat Tola, the 2022 World champion, winning his first World Major Marathon with a course record time of 2:04:58 in the men's event. In the women’s division, Hellen Obiri claimed the title with a time of 2:27:23.