"They're kind of a family brand"- When Gabby Thomas opened up on partnering with New Balance ahead of Nike, Adidas and Puma

Gabby Thomas once opened up about choosing New Balance over other sports apparel brands like Nike, Adidas and Puma when she turned professional in 2018. She highlighted her longstanding connection with the brand, having worn it throughout her collegiate career and feeling a family-like bond with them.

The 27-year-old turned heads during her collegiate days at Harvard, where she claimed 22 conference titles. Her success was followed by the 200m title at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in 2018 and placing second at the Division 1 NCAA Outdoor National Track and Field Championships the same year.

Recognizing her immense success that year, New Balance offered her a contract, leading her to sign a deal for an undisclosed amount. When she signed with New Balance, Gabby Thomas was set to compete in their Vazee Sigma and Vazee Verge while training in the Fresh Foam 890 and 1400v4 models.

The three-time Olympic champion was asked about her decision to turn professional; she shared that she initially felt uncertain about it, but the choice fell into place naturally. A factor that drew her to New Balance was its Massachusetts roots, which resonated with her as a native of the state.

"I wasn’t even sure if I was gonna go pro until kind of just before it happened. I didn’t know what being a professional track athlete looked like or what it entailed... But it just kind of happened, and New Balance ended up being such a great partnership because they’re in Massachusetts, a Boston-based brand, and I’d been wearing it my entire collegiate career and I’m from Massachusetts, she said. (Via Thomas' June 2022 interview with Track & Field News)

"They’re kind of a family brand. So it was such a great fit and I felt so welcome to join it and I ended up signing with them," she added.

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Gabby Thomas reflects on why she chose track and field as a professional career - "You can always get better"

Gabby Thomas during the Athlos NYC (Source: Getty)

During an interview with New Balance, Gabby Thomas shared that she chose track and field as a career of choice as it allowed her to become a better version of herself daily and offered constant challenges.

"I think I ended up choosing track because you can always get better you can always improve, you can always be a better athlete, be a better version of yourself and that's such a beautiful thing about track and field. We can count medals and we can count wins but you're always kind of racing yourself so, I fell in love with that," she said.

This year became a defining moment in Gabby Thomas' career as she secured three gold medals in the 200m, 4x100m, and 4x400m relay events at the Paris Olympics.