Gabby Thomas Wasn't At The Olympics Closing Ceremony: Where Was She?

Gabby Thomas certainly made a name for herself at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The track star snagged gold in the women’s 200M, and was a powerhouse in both the 4x100M and 4x400M relays. On August 10 at Stade de France, Thomas, alongside Shamier Little, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, and Alexis Holmes, shattered the American record with a blazing time of 3:15.27.

Despite being one of the most talked about athletes at the 2024 Olympics, Gabby Thomas skipped out on the Closing Ceremony--so where was she?

Instead of hitting up the closing ceremony, where A-listers like actor Tom Cruise, gymnast Simone Biles, and singer Billie Eilish were partying it up, Gabby Thomas decided to spend her final moments in Paris with her closest loved ones.

"I spent the night in Paris with my friends and family," she told People Magazine. "We went out to dinner, and I got to spend some time with them since I was so busy the whole time. It was so refreshing and just so nice and [I] got to celebrate having three medals."

The support from her loved ones and her team made all the difference in her gold medal journey. Reflecting on her whirlwind summer, Gabby Thomas says she will always cherish the memories of having her family, friends, and Team Toyota cheering her on from the start—long before she even touched down in Paris for the 2024 Olympics.

Following the 2024 Olympics, Gabby Thomas returned home, but the golden glow from Paris doesn’t seem to be fading anytime soon for this track sensation.

After her flight from Paris to the U.S. on Monday, August 12, Thomas was greeted with a hero’s welcome—and a special ride was waiting just for her. "The first thing I saw when I came out here was the Toyota Land Cruiser with my face plastered on it and everyone saw me get in the car and they were waving and cheering for me at the airport," she told People Magazine. "And so I mean, I couldn't have asked for a better homecoming."

"This has been an amazing homecoming for me. [It's my] first time back in about a month. So coming back with three gold medals and having the support has been awesome," she shared.

After her return from the 2024 Paris Olympics, Gabby Thomas appeared on "CBS Mornings" to chat about snagging her first-ever Olympic gold medal.

In the moments leading up to the big Games, Thomas explained that she has to "build her confidence." "I am telling myself that I am already the Olympic champion," she admitted. "I wrote down, over and over every morning that I was in Pairs, that I will be the Olympic champion in my notes app over and over."

While she seemed cool, calm, and collected during the competition, she admitted, "I was definitely nervous, but half the battle is mental."

The "years of practice" helped her bring home the gold alongside Shamier Little, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, and Alexis Holmes.

"That was such an exciting part of my experience, and I got to do that alongside my other amazing teammates," she said on "CBS Mornings" before revealing that the four women actually don't train together and that they have to come together just days ahead of the Games to prepare.

"We don't train together, so we didn't know what to expect, but we went out there and made it happen together," Thomas revealed. "So when we come together, we have a very short amount of time to come together, and that was in Paris, and what we have to do is build a rapport and trust each other and respect each other as athletes, and that's the best thing we can do, and that's how we win gold medals."

She also shared that running has always been her natural talent. "In elementary school, I used to race the boys in P.E. class, and everyone wanted to race me and see if they could beat me because I would always beat the boys," she said on "CBS Mornings."

Beyond her athletic achievements, the five-time Olympic medalist is a Harvard grad with a degree in neurobiology and also holds a Master’s in public health.