"The feeling of belonging"- Gabby Thomas opens up on the biggest challenge of her career as she wins three Olympic gold medals in Paris 

Gabby Thomas opened up about the biggest challenge of her career after a victorious campaign at the Paris Olympics. The American athlete expressed that the feeling of belonging to compete at the top level and believing in her capabilities were some of the biggest hurdles that she had to overcome throughout her career to achieve Olympic glory.

Thomas won three gold medals in the quadrennial games held at the French capital, making it the most successful Olympic campaign of her career so far. Having won two medals at the previous edition of the Olympics in Tokyo and achieving resounding success at the Paris Olympics, Gabby Thomas opened up about the biggest challenge of her career in an interview.

"I think the biggest challenge that I have experienced in my life as an Olympian is the feeling of belonging and feeling like I really belong to these settings. It feels really special to be here and I have the maturity as an athlete just to know that I belong here and know what I am capable of," she said.

"It took a lot of discipline and took a lot of just mental training to feel that I belong in that race and not just belong, know that I can win and it is because I did not see a lot of people who were like me and I just hope that other girls can look up and see what I do. Keep climbing represents ambition and also represents how far you come and how much further you can go and just think about how much I have grown through this journey, how much I know I am capable of till I get there," she added.

Gabby Thomas on being forced into track and field by her mother

Gabby Thomas at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 - Athletics - Source: Getty

Gabby Thomas made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live after the Paris Olympics and revealed that she was forced into track and field by her mother, Jeniffer Randall. The 27-year-old went on to thank her mother for signing her up to track when she had originally chosen softball.

" She made that decision for me. She said track and field; she signed me up, and I showed up to practice for first day, and never looked back. Mom, I want to thank you so much for forcing me to do track and field. Thank you. You knew what you were doing," she said.

Furthermore, she expressed her gratitude for receiving immense support from her parents and added that she strives for greater pursuits.