Gabby Thomas, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, said that an adult male sports bettor followed and verbally abused her during a Grand Slam Track meet in Philadelphia over the weekend.
Thomas posted on X that as she took pictures and signed autographs for fans — mostly children — around the track, the man continued to follow her while shouting personal insults.
She added that “anybody who enables him online is gross.”
Responding to a previous Thomas post, a man shared a video of him heckling the sprinter at the starting line. He also shared a screenshot of a bet slip with a parlay that included Thomas losing in the 200-meter dash as one of the legs.
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, who also edged Thomas in the 100, went on to win the 200, resulting in a win of more than $800.
The man wrote: “I made Gabby lose by heckling her. And it made my parlay win.”
Thomas later replied that “the heckling is tolerable” but added that “it’s following me around the stadium that’s wild.”
“Grand Slam Track is conducting a full investigation into the reprehensible behavior captured on video,” the track circuit said in a statement to The Athletic. “We are working to identify the individual involved and will take appropriate action as necessary. We will implement additional safeguards to help prevent incidents like this in the future. Let us be clear, despicable behavior like this will not be tolerated.”
Thomas, 28, shined at the 2024 Paris Olympics, winning gold not only in the 200 but also in the 4×100 and 4×400 relays.
–Field Level Media
