"When I started running, I always remembered Allyson Felix" - When Gabby Thomas recalled her childhood fandom for the American legend

Triple Olympic champion Gabby Thomas once shared her admiration for the legendary track and field star Allyson Felix and called her an inspiration. Thomas earned the first Olympic gold of her career at the Paris Olympics.

Felix was one of the most dominant track runners and holds the record of being the most decorated track and field athlete in history. Over the course of five Olympic appearances, Felix amassed 11 medals with seven golds, three silvers, and a bronze, making her one of the few athletes to win at least one medal in every Olympic outing. The 38-year-old American icon also won 20 World Championship medals, with 14 of them being golds.

Felix inspired a generation of runners, and one of them is the reigning 200m Olympic champion, Gabby Thomas. Thomas once recalled how her mother encouraged her to watch the US Olympic Trials and that her family was deeply impressed by Felix's performance.

Thomas noted that when she started her own track-running journey, she always remembered Felix as a source of motivation. She said via ANDSCAPE in 2021:

"When I started running and as my goals kept growing for myself, I always remembered Allyson Felix,” Thomas said. “I was always a fan watching her. I loved her grace and she’s so accomplished."

Besides her 200m gold, Thomas also played a key role in Team USA's 4x100m relay victory. Following that, she helped Team USA win their eighth consecutive 4x400m relay gold alongside Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, making it a three-in-a-row for herself at the Paris Olympics.

---

"It’s really neat that we have these commonalities" - Allyson Felix in an interview with Gabby Thomas

Gabby Thomas at the Olympic Games-Paris 2024 (Image via Getty)

During the Paris Olympics, Gabby Thomas was interviewed by her childhood hero, Allyson Felix, and the two discussed her first gold medal. During the conversation, Thomas narrated a story about Felix discussing having "chicken legs" while growing up, and Thomas, who also faced similar circumstances, found inspiration in her experience.

Thomas was quoted as saying (via Elle):

"You did an interview where you talked about having chicken legs growing up. I read that while I was living that. Everyone was calling me chicken legs. It was something I was so insecure about and I didn’t see myself as a strong athlete for that reason, but that really resonated with me. I was like, You know what? That’s fine. I’ll have chicken legs and I’ll run track and I’ll be like Allyson Felix."

Felix replied:

"I never knew that I wasn’t the only chicken legs out there! I love that. It’s really neat that we have these commonalities."

Allyson Felix also noted that she was excited to see Gabby Thomas carrying forward the track-running legacy of the United States.