Gabby Thomas excited about her role in shaping the future of athletics

Ahead of making her comeback for the 2026 season, American track superstar Gabby Thomas is excited about her role in shaping the future of athletics.

The sprint queen who had a triumphant outing at the Paris Olympic Games by securing three gold medals, was forced to watch a major part of the 2025 season from the sidelines after sustaining an Achilles tendon injury.

This hampered her continuation for the year, ultimately leading her to withdraw from the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this past September.

With the setback now behind and focused on having a brilliant 2026 season, Thomas spoke to Olympics.com at the Women's Sports Foundation gala in New York City about her recovery and her excitement for the future of athletics, including the upcoming World Athletics Ultimate Championships.

The reigning Olympic 200m champion was clear about her future plans.

"I'll be back," she stated confidently. "I'll have a little bit of a later start next season, which gives me more time to rehab my Achilles. But I'll be doing a normal season, focusing on Athlos towards the end of it and the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest."

Thomas expressed enthusiasm for new developments in the sport, calling the Budapest event "a new initiative by World Athletics that I love. I'm excited to be part of these new and innovative things in our sport."

Beyond her comeback, she is deeply passionate in shaping the future of athletics, and her role as an athlete advisor for the Athlos League - a women-only track and field series is one she's excited about its potential.

"We are rolling out our actual team-based model league in 2026," she explained. "I just see it as being this very positive, disruptive movement in our sport... a way for athletes to make a sustainable living in the sport and to have something to aspire to."

Thomas has made her intentions known on running the 400m more this year, which she believes would be "an opportunity to see what she's capable of."