Gabby Thomas became the only American track and field athlete to win three gold medals in the Paris Olympics after an amazing performance. Conversely, the sprinter has achieved equal success off the track as she has, where she studies neuroscience. She revealed that her siblings encouraged her to choose this field of study.

Since her college years, Thomas has had a stellar athletic career in addition to comparable academic achievement. The 28-year-old graduated from Harvard University in 2019 after studying neuroscience and global health as an undergraduate. She then continued on to the University of Texas Health Science Centre at Houston, where she finished her master’s program in epidemiology for public health in 2023.During a 2021 podcast interview, Gabby Thomas revealed that her brothers’ neurotypical behaviour was as her inspiration for pursuing a career in neurobiology.

Simply observing how my neurotypical brothers handled life and coming to terms with who they are. My younger sibling suffers from autism. His condition is Asperger’s. And I think he was diagnosed when he was four years old. And simply observing how he gets around, how the world isn’t really made for him, but he’s so unique and incredible in his own right.

My twin brother, on the other hand, recently fought ADHD. I just did everything and grew up with him as a result. And we completed everything in unison. And when I was younger, he was my best buddy. It was quite frightening to witness such helplessness from someone who, in reality, feels very much like a part of me.

Gabby Thomas on how neurobiology kept her competitive

Although Gabby Thomas’s brothers may have sparked her early interest in neurobiology, her decision to study the field unintentionally assisted her in being successful on the track. The American said in an interview with World Athletics that one of her main tools before a race was visualisation, a technique she had mastered in her academic pursuits.

The idea that you can train your brain to perform something and eventually it will become second nature really appealed to me about the neuroplasticity component of learning. It ultimately comes down to muscle memory and an awareness of your nervous system’s functions, the significance of your endocrine system, and how particular behaviours affect your hormones. That is ultimately what has an impact on your track and field performance.

Gabby Thomas made a wise decision to balance her academic and athletic pursuits, even though she may not have taken the usual route that most athletes take. With five Olympic medals under his belt already, the American is sure to add more when the 2028 Los Angeles Games roll around.