Olympian Gabby Thomas says a group of men have been following her at airports
Olympic gold medalist Gabby Thomas asked for advice from her social media followers after, she said, a group of men have been stalking her at airports in multiple cities.
Thomas, a five-time Olympic medalist, said in a TikTok video Tuesday that a group of men have appeared at airports across the country while she’s traveling, harassing her and asking her to sign stacks of pictures. She believes the men are resellers but alleges they have been “aggressive and hostile” when she rejects them.
“It doesn’t matter what city,” Thomas said. “They’ve come when I was traveling to and from Chicago, they’ve come when I’m traveling to and from Miami. And they have my flight information.”
The men, about three to six of them, have shown up at airport doors, she said. But, Thomas said, they have also approached her at her concourses or gates, meaning they appear to have to have flight tickets and go through airport security.
She said the encounters are particularly frightening when she’s traveling alone. The fact that they seem to know exactly where and when she is traveling, she said, is “freaking” her out.
“What scares me is that they have my flight information even when I don’t even know what time I’m flying out sometimes — I don’t tell anyone my flight information,” Thomas said.
Last year in Paris, Thomas ran in her second Olympics and brought home three gold medals. It was a redemption from her second- and third-place finishes at the Tokyo Games a few years before.
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Many found Thomas to be an inspiration as she trained for the global competition between taking neurobiology courses at Harvard University and volunteer work at a health clinic in Austin, Texas.
Now, Thomas is turning to the more than 260,000 followers for guidance to help her feel safe again while she is traveling.
“I don’t know what to do,” Thomas said. “Any advice is welcome.”
Commenters expressed sympathy and acknowledged the situation is alarming. Fellow Olympian Ilona Maher wrote that it was “so scary.”
“These guys are done,” Thomas said in a reply to Maher. “Once I figure this out they won’t be harassing anyone else.”
