How 3 Athletes Made Their Olympic Dreams a Reality While Working Day Jobs

Balancing a nine-to-five job with Olympic training is no easy task, but athletes like Gabby Thomas, Canyon Barry, and Nic Fink are proving it’s possible as they prepare for the Paris Olympics.

Nic Fink, a six-time World Championship gold medalist in swimming, manages a remote engineering career at Quanta Utility Engineering Services alongside rigorous training sessions. Simultaneously, Canyon Barry, known for his prowess in 3×3 basketball, juggles high-level professional responsibilities at L3Harris Technologies in Florida with global commitments, all while preparing for the Olympic Games. 

Gabby Thomas, a rising star in Team USA track and field, devotes long hours to training while volunteering at an Austin healthcare clinic for uninsured individuals. Inspired by her mother’s academic and professional achievements while raising Thomas and her twin brother, her journey from neuroscience studies at Harvard University to a master’s in public health at the University of Texas underscores her commitment to athletic excellence and healthcare advocacy.

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These athletes exemplify resilience, discipline, and the pursuit of excellence as they gear up to represent Team USA in Paris. Balancing demanding professional careers with rigorous training schedules, they push the boundaries of what is possible. 

Gabby Thomas

Gabby Thomas, a U.S. track and field athlete, practices for three to six hours in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, she works in an Austin, Texas, volunteer health care clinic for people without insurance at night. 

Thomas, 27, credits her mother for instilling a solid work ethic. When Thomas and her twin brother were small, their mother worked as a waitress and studied to be a professor. Thomas’s interest in health care began while she studied neuroscience at Harvard University. 

“She showed me in real-time growing up what it’s like to go after your dreams and to achieve them, and to become successful,” Thomas said in an interview with NBC News. “I watched her just achieve all of that by herself and while raising us.”

Thomas participated in a lesson about the inequities in the American healthcare system and how they affect people of color. After graduating from Harvard, she got a master’s degree in public health from the University of Texas, which she still utilizes today.

Thomas participated in high school, but it was at Harvard that she began earning track awards. That’s where she broke the NCAA indoor collegiate record in the women’s 200 meters. The athlete attributes her success at the Tokyo Games to her drive, as she earned bronze in the women’s 200-meter and silver in the women’s 4×100-meter relay.  

Thomas hopes to win additional gold at the Paris 2024, but she also has a more significant aim: running a hospital or a nonprofit to improve access to health care. In the meantime, she hopes her story will inspire the next generation of athletes. She wants young girls, especially women of color, to know that they can achieve anything they set their minds to despite their challenges.

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Canyon Barry

This 3×3 basketball standout is more than just a force on the court; he also has a bachelor’s degree in physics and a master’s degree in nuclear engineering. 

“It’s definitely a grind at times,” Barry,30, told NBC News. “I’m so fortunate [my employers] are willing to work with me. That’s part of the Olympic spirit to do whatever you can try to succeed and pursue that dream.”

According to NBC News, Barry’s routine includes bright early morning weight training and yoga, working at L3Harris Technologies in Melbourne, Florida, and then going to the gym for basketball training following work.

“It definitely required good time-management skills,” he told NBC News during an interview. “It’s something I learned from college athletics. As you can imagine, a lot of those courses were challenging to take while trying to balance what’s basically a full-time job of collegiate basketball. But it prepared me for the real world and being able to manage my time and really figure out how to be efficient. Sometimes you don’t get much sleep, but you do what it takes.”

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Nic Fink

When Nic Fink, a six-time World Championship gold medalist, is not in the pool, he works remotely at Quanta Utility Engineering Services. The six-time World Champion’s intense dedication paid off at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where he finished fifth in the men’s 200-meter breaststroke and made an indelible impact on onlookers.

Fink, 31, went on to get a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from Georgia Tech after making a splash in swimming at the Tokyo Olympics. His wife, Melanie Margalis Fink, is a 2016 Olympic gold medal swimming champion, and he now works remotely for Quanta Utility Engineering Services from their Dallas home.

“I thought there was a chance that as I dedicated more time into engineering, perhaps my swimming career would begin to sunset,” Fink said during a phone interview with NBC News.

“But finding that balance has actually helped me in both, and my swimming’s been just as good or better than ever,” he added with a laugh. “It’s been fun to enjoy this part of the ride.”

University of Georgia coach Michael Norment, 49, who throughout the years has spent time with Fink, had nothing but praise for the swimmer, praising his intellect, honesty, commitment, and physical prowess.

“Grad school and swimming and traveling and competing — it speaks to his ability to compartmentalize everything that he has going on in his life,” Norment said. “I look at him, and I’m just amazed. I don’t know many people who can do that.”