Does Gabby Thomas have a twin brother? All about Andrew Thomas and the sprinter's family

By Animesh Pandey

Modified Aug 19, 2024 10:40 GMT

Gabby Thomas is on cloud nine since her outing at the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, did you know that Thomas also has a twin brother?

Born to interracial parents, Thomas has a total of four siblings, including elder brother Andrew. Andrew Thomas and Gabby Thomas are twins. Both Desi and Andrew's experience with neurological conditions drew Gabby Thomas to neurobiology and a career in medicine.

Gabby Thomas did her graduation from Harvard University in neurobiology and public health, following which she pursued a career in athletics. However, she also completed her Master's degree in Epidemiology at the Austin campus of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

With a gold medal in the women's 200m at the Paris Olympics, Thomas became the first American female sprinter in 12 years to claim the title since Allyson Felix. She also won gold medals as part of the women's 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams at the 2020 Games.

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How did Gabby Thomas' brother inspire her to study medicine?

Gabby Thomas with her siblings - Instagram@gabbythomas on Instagram

Gabby Thomas is the twin sister of Andrew Thomas, who was born seconds before her.

Thomas' other brother Desi has autism and Andrew has received neurofeedback therapy for ADHD during high school, following which Gabby Thomas decided to pursue a career in neurobiology. A career in track and field wasn't her top priority, let alone going to the Olympics.

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Gabby Thomas' parents and early life

Gabrielle 'Gabby' Thomas was born to Jennifer Randall Thomas and Desmond Thomas on 7 December 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia. Desmond Thomas hails from Jamaica and played college football during his youth at Duke University. Her mother was an academician, who had completed her PhD from Emory University.

Gabby Thomas was barely 10 years old when her mother decided to relocate to Massachusetts. She and her siblings were raised by Jennifer Thomas.

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Gabby Thomas' performance at the Paris Olympics

Gabby Thomas in action during the women's 4x400m relay final at the Paris Olympics [Image Source: Getty]

Gabby Thomas was considered a strong contender for the Olympic gold medal in 200m after clocking a world-leading time of 21.78 seconds during the US Olympic trials. She was facing stiff competition from the likes of Shericka Jackson of Jamaica, Julian Alfred from Saint Lucia, and Favour Ofili of Nigeria.

However, before the heats, Jackson suddenly withdrew from the competition. Once the heats began, Thomas established her status further as she clocked the fastest qualifying time. In the final, Thomas emerged the strongest over the finishing straight, beating Julian Alfred of Saint Lucia [who had already won a historic gold for Saint Lucia in women's 100m] to win the Olympic gold medal with a timing of 21.83 seconds.

Thomas' performance in the women's 200m was followed by her participation in the women's 4x100m and the women's 4x400m relays. Thomas ran the third leg in the finals of both events, contributing immensely to two gold medal wins. Interestingly, the USA repeated the feat from the Rio Olympics 2016 of both the athletics women's relay teams winning the Olympic gold medal.