"Her versatility is incredible" - Gabby Thomas inspired by Allyson Felix's ability to run multiple events

Gabby Thomas credited Allyson Felix's versatility on the track for piquing her interest in running 100m, 200m, and 400m. Thomas first watched Felix in action while at her grandmother's place. That ignited a fire in little Thomas' heart, who later shared a frame with her inspiration at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Thomas, 27, was part of the silver-winning 4x100m relay team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. On the same Olympiad, Felix, the seven-time gold medalist, swept the 4x400m relay gold for the US.

At the 2020 US Olympic team trials, Thomas was positioned in lane six in the women's 200m final. Right beside her in lane seven was her childhood idol, Allyson Felix, vying for the 200m position as well.

Ecstatic beyond comprehension, Thomas hugged Felix after touching the finish line first. The woman she grew up watching became her Olympic teammate, which was "surreal" for her (via Andscape). Recalling how Felix's mastery of track impacted her on a different level, the 27-year-old graced the seat in the Journey to Gold Zone Podcast to talk about the same.

In conversation with USA Track and Field host and Olympic high jumper Erik Kynard, the World gold medalist shared her desire to compete in 100m and 400m, despite prioritizing 200m, a drive she felt after watching the zealous Allyson Felix.

"I think my primary focus this year is the 200. I mean, that's my baby, that's my favorite event. I can do the 100 and I can do the 400, so I figured why not? I did grow up watching Allyson Felix and her versatility is incredible. It's just amazing to watch and when you have the ability to do that I don't see why not," Thomas said (at 2:00).

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Gabby Thomas on the pay hike to the Olympic gold medalists: "This is amazing"

Track and field athletes will receive $2 million across men's, women's, and mixed events from the track and field governing body.

In a recent announcement, World Athletics announced that the gold medalists will get $50,000 at the Paris Olympics. Starting in the Los Angeles Olympics 2028, the gold-winning relay team members will receive $50,000 individually.

This newsbreak pleased Gabby Thomas, who has always rallied to promote gender equality and right pay for athletes.

"I love that track and field is pioneering this. This is amazing, we’ve been talking about paying athletes for their hard work for a while. Support is so important, any time you can have any type of support it’s great. This is all often done with hope, dreams, and effort," she said (via Team USA Media Summit).

Thomas will look to compete at the US Olympic trials in June 2024.