"It was really hard for her" - Gabby Thomas opens up on the struggles faced by her mother after her parent's divorce

Gabby Thomas recently reflected on the struggles of her mother she witnessed as a kid. Thomas has had an illustrious career with five Olympic medals so far, the credit of which she has frequently given to her mother Jennifer Randall.

Randall is a well-versed person with a Ph.D in Educational Measurement from Emory University. The American sprinter's mother pursued a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Duke University in 1996. Two years later in 1999, she received her Master's degree in Teaching from the same University.

Following this, Randall pursued a doctorate in Educational Measurement till 2007 and moved to Ammer after acquiring the opportunity of assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts. Balancing the demands of motherhood and academics, she single-handedly raised Thomas and her siblings, including a twin brother and a younger brother and sister.

In a recent interview with Set The Pace, Thomas reflected on her mother's hardship-filled journey, highlighting their unstable living situation. She also admired her mother's relentlessness and determination.

"It was really hard for her," Thomas said. "And I mean, we were living with family members. We were couch surfing and after school, when my mom was in school, I would go stay with family members and that was just normal."

Thomas added:

"I watched that growing up. I watched my mom work very hard. I watched her come from nothing and just have a dream, have a plan, and work for it and make it happen." (21:30 onwards)

"It was never about the outcome ever" - Gabby Thomas highlights her mother's priority to efforts over results

Gabby Thomas celebrates winning the gold medal after competing in the Women's 4x100m Relay Final at the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo via Getty Images)

Gabby Thomas recently highlighted the stress-free setting her mother provided her when it came to the sprinter pursuing her academics.

In an interview with Why Not Me? with Mike Jackson, she emphasized her mother's nurturing approach toward her education, stating she never felt pressured to achieve specific goals.

"I didn't feel pressure at all and that is one of the best things about my mom. It was never about the outcome ever. It was always about the effort, doing my homework, and if I tried and every day after school we would sit down we had to do the homework first and she would check it and we would go about our day."

She added:

I don't remember her ever punishing me for getting anything wrong or ever punishing me for getting a bad grade on a test and I've had so many bad grades."

Following her graduation in neurobiology and global health from the University of Harvard, Gabby Thomas earned her master's degree in public health from the University of Texas.