"It really felt like life-changing money" - Gabby Thomas was 'surprised' on getting signed by New Balance in 2018

Gabby Thomas turned pro in 2018 after signing a multi-year contract with New Balance, one that paid her 'life-changing money'. While she didn't reveal the exact amount she was paid, the Olympic champion expressed gratitude to the brand for signing her.

Thomas wasn't highly interested in running track until she started college at Harvard. She dominated the Ivy League championships in her next three years at college, winning a staggering 22 conference titles.

Thomas won the 200m title at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships before placing second in the outdoor competition. The success in the NCAA circuit was followed by a professional contract from New Balance, who had sponsored Thomas during her entire collegiate career.

However, the three-time Olympic champion claimed she was surprised at being offered the professional contract.

"I was surprised I was signed. I will say I didn't know what going pro in track and field was," she said on 'Why not me? with Mike Jackson' podcast.

When asked whether the money felt like 'life-changing', Thomas agreed but added that it was low in comparison to the other sports.

"For me, it felt like life-changing money. Compared to other sports and leagues, it's not but in track and field a lot of us haven't seen the money before, so we don't know what a lot of money looks like," Gabby Thomas said.

"But for me, it really was life-changing money. Signing that New Balance deal, they ended up paying for my education and gave me the opportunity to run professional track. Without that shoe deal, I wouldn't have been able to even run track. I wouldn't have the resources or the opportunity to go to track meets," she added.

New Balance also signed Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in 2018, who was offered a whopping annual salary of $1.5 million. While Thomas wasn't as successful and popular as her at that time, her salary is still expected to have been around $1 million per year.

Gabby Thomas explains how can track and field athletes get paid more

The Olympic Games-Paris 2024 - Gabby Thomas competes in women's relay (Source: Getty)

Speaking on the podcast, Gabby Thomas stated that it was nearly impossible to pursue a career in track and field without a shoe deal as the prize money offered at track meets wasn't sometimes enough for athletes to pay their expenses.

When asked about the solution, Thomas said track and field leagues might help them.

"Leagues. I mean we need people to invest in track and field and that's what's going on right now. Alexis Ohanian just had his inaugural event (Athlos NYC) and Michael Johnson with the Grand Slam Track," she said.

"People need to be part of a league, they need to be competing, they need to show up to the meet so that spectators have something to actually watch other than the Olympics and when people are watching, that's how you make the money," Thomas added.

The 27-year-old also added that leagues such as Formula 1 and NASCAR were blueprints for the future track leagues.