Months after she lit up the Paris Olympics, snagging three golds in the —first U.S. track star to do it since Allyson Felix in 2012, Gabby Thomas cemented her name in Legends Row. But with all this glory, something is missing still! What’s keeping her worrying?
“It is very, very hard to make a living,” Gabby Thomas revealed on a podcast while talking about the financial hardships athletes have to face. Speaking of the Diamond League, Gable raises concerns about the prize money that often does not reflect the efforts put into training: “You go abroad to compete in what we call the Diamond League, and you have the opportunity to make $10,000 if you win your race’’. Besides that, athletes pay other charges too, “If it’s not covered, pay for your travel, your agent fees, coaching fees, and all of that… So this is a really big deal for us, having an opportunity to go compete and actually afford to make a livable wage by running.” Is there a way out? Gabby has an answer.
Gabby Thomas is hyping up the Grand Slam Track League. She spilled at SXSW 2025 on the ‘A Touch More’ podcast that GST—Michael Johnson’s brainchild launching in April 2025—is all about giving athletes a legit shot at consistent, high-stakes racing with insane rewards. “The Grand Slam track initiative seeks to provide a continuous platform for athletes to compete, ensuring that fans have regular events to follow. This helps sustain interest in the sport,” she says.
Gabby Thomas was talking about how messed up it was before the Grand Slam thing. She said there were basically NO chances for track stars here in the US to actually earn money competing. Can you imagine? That meant so many of amazing athletes had to go all the way overseas just to race and could even end up in debt just trying to make a living. That’s wild! After all the hype. What actually GST have to offer besides full-on entertainment??
Grand Slam Track offers an opportunity for athletes to sustain their living, Gabby hopes!
The Grand Slam Track League is going to let athletes win over $400,000 in just one season?! That’s insane! And that could be a game-changer! We’re talking $12.6 million in prize money across four slams, with $100k for each winner and $10,000 for eighth place —way juicier than the Diamond League’s $9.24 million spread over 15 meets, where first place only nets $30k in the final. The 48 ‘Racers’—the league’s core stars—score a base salary just for showing up to all four events, paid whether they’re healthy or sidelined, which is clutch stability the Diamond League doesn’t touch.
That’s the full financial playbook GST’s rolling out—way more structured than the Diamond League’s prize-only setup. Ensuring epic head-to-head battles over three days—no random one-off races like the Diamond League’s scattered vibe. It’s track-only, no field distractions, and Gabby’s pumped about how it’ll spotlight rivalries and recovery, keeping us glued to the drama.! Will it crown Gabby the queen of a track revolution, or just be another big promise?
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