GAINESVILLE, Fla. — She stood on the floor of Fort Worth's Dickies Arena less than three months ago with tears in her eyes, reflecting on her Gators gymnastics career.
Trinity Thomas was all smiles Wednesday morning.
Thomas was back at Florida's training studio to discuss the latest development on her prolific journey in the sport: her quest to earn a spot on the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team in the Paris Summer Olympics.
"I've been thinking about it for a while,'' Thomas said. "It's one more year of gymnastics. I love gymnastics. It can be as big or as small as I want it to be. I still have fuel in the tank. Let's see how much."
Limited by an injured lower right leg, Thomas capped her UF career in April at the NCAA Championships, thrilling the crowd on the final day by recording the 28th perfect 10 of her career to finish tied for first on the all-time list. Thomas announced last week that she is returning to UF this fall to continue her education and serve as a student-assistant coach.
That news scored a perfect 10 in Gator Nation. Thomas is a fan favorite at the O'Dome and one of the most popular athletes on campus the past five years.
While her college career didn't end as she envisioned — Thomas strained her lower right leg at the NCAA Pittsburgh Regional and did not compete on floor, beam or the all-around at the NCAA Finals — she helped the Gators finish national runner-up for the second consecutive year while adding more signature moments to her decorated career.
Thomas, a 34-time All-American and the 2022 NCAA all-around national champion, continues to recover from the leg injury. She has returned to training and landing on soft surfaces, but she said Wednesday that she has no plans to compete this summer.
The goal is to be at full-strength and earn an invitation to a Team USA training camp in November for America's top Elite gymnasts. That would start the process toward a potential berth in the Paris Olympics.
The 22-year-old Thomas understands the challenge of turning Wednesday's announcement into a reality next summer.
"It's one of the hardest teams to make,'' she said. "It's definitely not a walk in the park. The odds are not necessarily great, and that's OK."
Thomas was a member of the U.S. Senior National Team from 2016-20 and finished eighth in all-around, fourth on bars, and sixth on beam and floor at the 2018 U.S. Championships. After arriving at UF, Thomas continued to practice Elite routines and trained toward the 2020 Olympics before ankle injuries derailed those plans.
Thomas is a veteran in the gymnastics world, but the sport has changed significantly in recent years as name, image and likeness (NIL) has opened doors for former Olympians to compete in college and retrain for the Olympics after college.
Thomas' time at UF coincided with the shift in the sport.
"I'm so glad that it is evolving and has evolved. Everybody is just getting smarter,'' Thomas said. "You don't have to do eight hours in the gym [daily] to be great. What you do have to do is take care of your body so it is going to work for you years down the road. NIL has really changed the game. It's incredible that a lot of [Olympians in college] are going back to compete in Elite for this next Olympics. I think it's amazing. They're pushing the boundaries of what you can do."
Thomas is taking a long-road approach toward Paris.
"I love gymnastics. I'm not ready to give it up,'' she said. "I know there's more that I have to give and I'm just excited to get here and see what I can do. Taking things slow. Taking things one step at a time. Making sure I'm prioritizing my health mentally and physically."
A native of York, Pa., Thomas joined the Gators in 2019 and made an instant impact as the SEC Freshman of the Year. She is a three-time Southeastern Conference Gymnast of the Year (2020, '22, '23) and a two-time finalist for Honda Award honoring the nation's top college female athlete.
Thomas said her decision to return for another year at Florida and to train for the Olympics is based on living in the moment.
"I've been here for five years. There's obviously something pretty special about this place,'' she said. "I absolutely love Florida and the coaches, the team, the Gator Nation/Gator Family is so special to me and has been there for me. I wasn't ready, honestly, to leave.
"These times won't come around again."
