Olympic gold medalist Gabby Thomas calls out bettor for following, heckling her at Philadelphia meet
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Gabby Thomas said she was followed and verbally abused by a sports bettor during a Grand Slam Track meet in Philadelphia over the weekend.
'This grown man followed me around the track as I took pictures and signed autographs for fans (mostly children) shouting personal insults- anybody who enables him online is gross,' Thomas wrote on X on Monday.
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In response to a previous post from Thomas, a man posted a video of him heckling the sprinter at the starting line and shared a screenshot of a winning bet slip which showed he won over $800 on a parlay which included a victory by Melissa Jefferson-Wooden in the women's 100m. Thomas, who won gold in Paris in the 200m, was bested by Jefferson-Wooden in the 200 on Saturday and then beaten by Jefferson-Wooden again Sunday in the 100.
The man wrote, 'I made Gabby lose by heckling her. And it made my parlay win.'
In a thread, Thomas later replied to another commenter: 'Honestly the heckling is tolerable, it's following me around the stadium that's wild.'
Grand Slam Track said Tuesday it's working to identify the man in the video and is investigating the incident.
'Grand Slam Track is conducting a full investigation into the reprehensible behavior captured on video,' the track circuit said in a statement to The Athletic. 'We are working to identify the individual involved and will take appropriate action as necessary. We will implement additional safeguards to help prevent incidents like this in the future. Let us be clear, despicable behavior like this will not be tolerated.'
Thomas, 28, saw a boost in fame after winning gold in the 200m, 4x100m and 4x400m at the Paris Olympics last summer.
Her rise in mainstream popularity has also brought more intrusive attention from fans. Earlier this year, she said in a TikTok video that she was repeatedly approached by a group of men at several airports asking her to sign a stack of photos. The men reportedly got aggressive when she declined.
Thomas is the latest athlete to speak out on the alarming treatment from fans related to sports betting.
Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. and his family recently received death threats from a fan on social media following a 13-9 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on May 10. The Astros alerted Major League Baseball and the Houston Police Department, which later identified the fan as a frustrated bettor who lashed out online while inebriated.
Editor's note: The Athletic has a partnership with BetMGM. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
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