Gabby Thomas has spent years proving herself as one of the fastest women in the world. The American Olympic sprinter makes her SI Swimsuit debut in the 2025 magazine, hitting newsstands May 13. While on location for her photo shoot with Ben Horton in Boca Raton, Fla., she spoke candidly about her strength, confidence and long journey toward self-love.
TRANSCRIPT
Hey, it’s Gabby Thomas and I’m on set with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit.
My earliest memories of running track are just running in high school with my friends, and I was definitely very self-aware of my body and my body type. I teetered between not wanting to look too masculine and strong, and also wanting to maintain a feminine look, and also be thin. There were times where it would make me feel self-conscious to be like a really strong track athlete.
Through the sport I gained so much confidence and kind of focusing on those goals. It gave me a sense of purpose that gave me confidence. And so, I was less focused on what my body looked like and more so ‘what could my body do for me?’ And I think what I would tell girls now is to not worry about what society thinks about your body. Don’t worry about what society tells you your body is for, that’s for you to decide. And you can do amazing things with it, especially through sport. But even if you don’t do sport, it’s about celebrating yourself and doing whatever makes you feel most confident…