Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
There are sadly far too many stories about female athletes being stalked by men who’ve become obsessed with them. Now, Olympic sprinter Gabby Thomas has come forward to share a troubling account of her own while turning to the internet for help.
The perks of fame tend to be accompanied by plenty of downsides if you’re someone who values your privacy, and that reality is all too apparent to plenty of professional athletes who’ve managed to make a name for themselves.
Gabby Thomas has done exactly that as a sprinter who’s represented the United States at the Summer Olympics on two occasions. The Georgia native won an individual bronze and a team silver in Tokyo, and she came home from Paris with three golds thanks to wins in the 200 m, 4×100 m relay, and 4×400 m relay.
Her success has unfortunately led to Thomas receiving some unwanted attention now that’s she back in America, as the 28-year-old took to TikTok on Tuesday to shed some light on the unnerving situation she’s currently dealing with due to a group of men she’s repeatedly encountered at airports who’ve tracked her down in search of autographs.
@itsgabbythomas They know the airport, day, time, gate, everything!!! Who do I report them to?? #fyp
Thomas says that she’s had multiple unwanted encounters with the “three to six middle-aged men” who have approached her inside various airports (she specifically mentioned Chicago and Miami) armed with the flight information she says they’ve used to both accost her while she’s leaving the terminal and at the gate of the airplane she’s on (which means they purchased tickets in order to make it past security).
She added they’re typically in possessions of dozens of photos they want her to sign and get “really aggressive and hostile” when she declines, and notes she has no idea how they’re able to figure out which flights she’s on given the steps she’s taken to keep that information private (she followed up the initial post with a video featuring two of the alleged stalkers).
Tennis star Coco Gauff responded with a comment where she said she’s been subjected to similar treatment while positing the autograph seekers have an inside connection with airline employees or airport workers who may be able to access their flight information.
This sounds like a case that’s tailormade for the FBI when you consider Thomas says she’s been stalked by the same people in multiple states, but here’s to hoping some type of law enforcement agency gets involved sooner rather than later.