Gabby Thomas Takes Home USATF Female Athlete of the Year in Glamorous Style

The three-time Paris Olympic gold medalist accepted the award at the annual Night of Legends event on Dec. 7.

Gabby Thomas / Cindy Ord/Getty Images

Over the weekend, USA Track and Field (USATF) hosted its annual Night of Legends, the yearly season-ending awards ceremony honoring the best track athletes of the season. Coming on the back end of the 2024 Paris Olympics, the ceremony paid tribute to some of the sport’s newest gold medalists. Among the award winners was sprinter Gabby Thomas.

The 28-year-old has had a momentous year, to say the least. In November, she made her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut at The Boca Raton in Boca Raton, Fla. Prior to that, she had traveled to Paris for her second Olympic Games. On the track in France, the athlete took home three gold medals in the 200m, 4x100m and 4x400m, establishing herself as one of the foremost female sprinters in the world right now.

Given her success on the track this season, it comes as no surprise that she was this year’s Jackie Joyner-Kersee Award winner. On Dec. 7, she was presented with the award at the Night of Legends ceremony—and she came dressed for the occasion, too. She took to the red carpet at the event in a sequined chocolate brown gown. Complete with long sleeves and a chic side slit, the number was the perfect pick for the momentous occasion.

On stage, she was presented with her impressive award and a small cake to commemorate her 28th birthday, which coincided with the ceremony. After the athlete had the chance to take her trophy and blow out the candles, she gave an acceptance speech that was—much like her—inspiring.

She had one message for the young girls and boys watching the ceremony: “Believe in yourself,” she said. “When I was younger, I had big dreams too. Dreams that oftentimes scared me because I felt like they were too far away. But here’s what I want you to know. You are capable of far more than you can imagine. The world will try to tell you to be realistic or to do things a certain way or that certain things are not meant for you. don’t listen. Your dreams, no matter how big they are, are valid.”

With the help of self-belief and hard work, Thomas has achieved great things on the track. And she’s not done yet. Recently, she announced her commitment to compete in Grand Slam Track’s inaugural season. The new track and field league seeks to bring greater visibility to the sport—and Thomas will no doubt be at the forefront of that inspiring mission.