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Triple Olympic champion Gabby Thomas envisions a new era for track and field, pushing for professional leagues, greater athlete recognition and broader fan engagement as the sport gains momentum through new ventures and media exposure.
Triple Olympic champion Gabby Thomas is calling for a new era in track and field that could transform the sport from its current status into a more professional, commercially viable enterprise.
As the 27-year-old sprinter reflects on her dominant performances in the Paris Olympics, where she earned three gold medals, Thomas has shifted her focus to the future of athletics, hoping to see changes that could elevate the sport beyond the current model.
"I want to exist like a professional sport, and not an amateur sport like we are now,” Thomas said on Front Office Sports Today.
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For Thomas, the future of track and field is about bringing it into the national and global spotlight more often than the typical four-year Olympic cycle.
“I can see that world on the horizon,” she added.
That transformation is already starting to take shape, thanks in part to recent ventures that have brought track and field into mainstream awareness.
One major factor has been the popular Netflix docuseries Sprint, which has shed light on the personalities and behind-the-scenes dynamics of top runners like Thomas.
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Produced by Box to Box, the same team behind Drive to Survive—the docuseries credited with revitalizing Formula 1’s global fanbase—Sprint has been instrumental in drawing new attention to track.
“We sparked the interest of these people who want to invest in our sport and start these new track leagues because we have such an interesting product,” Thomas said.
“I really do think it’s the personalities of the athletes that are kind of spearheading this new phase, this new era of track and field.”
With Season 2 of Sprint set to release in mid-November, documenting Thomas and other athletes in the buildup to the Paris Olympics, momentum for the sport is only increasing.
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On top of the Netflix exposure, track has seen a sudden influx of investment, leading to the creation of several new competitive platforms.
However, the sport is arguably more fragmented than ever. Alongside the established Diamond League, new ventures like Alexis Ohanian’s Athlos track meet, Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track league, and the upcoming Duael competition, which will introduce a head-to-head, bracket-style format, have emerged.
Each offers a unique take on what track’s professional future could look like, but their existence outside a unified structure has led to questions about the direction the sport should take.
Thomas herself has yet to commit to any specific league, but she did compete in the inaugural Athlos NYC event, where she placed second in the 200 meters. For her, the event was a clear standout in terms of how it valued athletes.
“I think what stood out most to me about Athlos was it felt like it was for us. I mean, normally when we go run at meets, the dynamic is that we should be grateful to be there,” Thomas explained.
“And that one, we really felt like they wanted us there and we were valued as the main product.”
Athlos NYC also distinguished itself with its entertainment-focused approach, incorporating a Megan Thee Stallion concert into the event.
This mix of athletic performance and entertainment provided a fresh appeal that could help broaden the sport’s fan base.
Thomas called the meet a “perfect track meet” for its ability to engage newer fans.
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