American 200m star Gabby Thomas made history at the Paris Olympics when she ended a 12-year U.S. gold drought in the women’s 200m. The sprinter didn’t stop after headlining major stories in the sports world–she’s now also making waves in world of fashion, modelling for the winter 2025 edition of Vogue. The feature, titled “How Sports and Fashion Fell In Love,” explores how athletes like Thomas embody the authenticity that fashion continually seeks.
Gabby Thomas (@itsgabbyt) is Vogue’s Winter 2025 cover star! For this issue, Maya Singer speaks to Thomas, basketball player Angel Reese, tennis player Frances Tiafoe, and others about how sports and fashion fell in love. pic.twitter.com/NWWSMoDCcE
— Vogue Magazine (@voguemagazine) January 8, 2025
The story’s author, Maya Singer, spoke to Thomas in the fall. The athlete revealed that she’s attended more sporting and fashion events since returning from Paris, where she brought home three gold medals. The 28-year-old developed a greater interest in glamour, increasingly embracing style, hair and makeup. US Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe and WNBA star Angel Reese were also featured in Singer’s story.
“There’s so much truth in what we do,” Thomas said. “On the track, I can’t cheat four years of hard work and commitment—otherwise I wouldn’t be there.”
“You show up every day, and you work,” she added. “And win or lose, the emotions that come—you can’t fake that, either.” Singer and Thomas both agree that fashion brands look for authentic individuals, and are more often finding themselves drawn to athletes, who simply can’t fake passion and commitment while expecting results.
Embracing her fame
In recent months, Thomas has grown her social media presence, attended the prestigious US Open, guest starred on popular talk shows Jimmy Kimmel Live, CBS Mornings and The Daily Show, modelled for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit and attended countless brand events.
One of Thomas’s most power projects was partnering with Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian to launch Athlos, a new all-women’s track meet designed to grow visibility for track and field, and particularly women’s sports. She was later acknowledged as one of the most influential individuals in the sports world heading into 2025 when her name was included in most recent edition of the Forbes 30 under 30 list.
