"She started as a waitress..now is a professor"-Paris Olympics gold medalist Gabby Thomas opens up about her mother's inspiring journey

Gabby Thomas recently opened up about the struggles her mother Jennifer Randall has endured in her journey though life, calling her an inspiration. The 27-year-old delivered powerful performances at the Paris Olympics and brought home three gold medals, by winning the 200m, and with the USA, the 4x100m relay and the 4x400m relay.

Thomas took the win in the women's 200m at the Paris Olympics with a time of 21.83s. She shared the podium with Julien Alfred and Brittany Browm, who secured second and third place after recording 22.08s and 22.20s, respectively. She also won golds in the women's 4x100m relay and 4x100m relay alongside her teammates Sha'Carri Richardson, Melissa Jefferson, and Twanisha Terry.

Following her Olympic campaign, Thomas returned to the USA and appeared on The Daily Show, where she opened up about her triumph. She spoke about her mother's reaction after the win and the latter's support throughout her career. Thomas shared Randall is a single mother who started as a waitress and made her way through many struggles:

"I can go on and on about my mom and her support," said Thomas. "I mean, my mom has believed in me since I've been born. I grew up with a single mom. I grew up iwth her and my twin brother and she has done everything for us. She started as a waitress and then worked her way, and now is a professor of an endowed chairman professorship at the University of Michigan." (1:56)

Appreciating her mother's hard work, the Olympic women's 200m champion added:

"I've watched her my entire life work really hard for something and to make her dream happen. And she's always instilled in me the importance of not only education but going after your dreams and giving back to your community. So she was the best role model that I could have ever imagined having."

Thomas, incidentally, had also appeared on the Daily Show before she qualified for the 2024 Paris Games.

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Gabby Thomas opens up about appearing on the Today Show post Paris Olympics win

Gabby Thomas opened up about her experiences after returning to the USA, following her successful Olympic quest in Paris. She shared a series of pictures on Instagram that shared moments from her appearance at the Today Show and some special moments with her fans. She also penned a note in the caption recalling the time she appeared on the show before booking her berth for Paris:

What a homecoming!!! I remember coming on @todayshow right before qualifying for the Olympics- today I got to return with 3 gold medals. What a full circle moment. Thank you America for the warm welcome back!!!," Thomas wrote.

Gabby Thomas' not only won medals for her country but also cheered on Sha'carri Richardson in the 4x100m relay gold-winning effort at the Paris Olympics.