Who is Gabby Thomas fiance Spencer McManes? Olympian track athlete calls out heckler over comments about dating white man

Olympic medalist Gabby Thomas and her fiancé Spencer McManes recently made headlines for all the wrong reasons at the Philadelphia Grand Slam Track meet on May 31, 2025.

As Thomas prepared for another crucial step on her road to the Paris Olympics, a disruptive fan followed her and heckled her around the track, targeting not just her athletic ability but her relationship with McManes, due to him being white.

The heckler, who has now been banned by FanDuel, took a video of himself shouting at Thomas as she was greeting he fans, including many children. According to ESPN News, his comments included insults about Thomas having a white boyfriend, compared to fellow sprinter Melissa Jefferson Wooden, who is newly married to a Black man.

Amidst the recent controversy, people are now interested in Gabby Thomas’s fiancé, Spencer McManes, a private figure who has always defended and championed her athletic career. The couple have also been together since October 2022, and McManes has been a regular presence in the stands to cheer her on at competitions, including the Olympic trials and the Paris Games.

Spencer McManes is a native of Roswell, Georgia, and the son of Skip and Lori McManes. According to Town and Country Magazine, he went to Blessed Trinity Catholic High School, where he played well as a quarterback, breaking some of the school records. He went on to play college football at Yale. He graduated in 2017 with a degree in Political Science and Government.

More about Spencer McManes and Gabby Thomas' recent controversy

Looking at his professional career, Spencer McManes has worked in consulting and customer success, and several other positions. He has worked at the McChrystal Group, in Virginia, and at People.ai before joining DataGrail as their Senior Customer Success Manager.

Outside of work, Spencer McManes is involved in sports and plays club rugby with the Austin Huns Rugby Club and recently started a brand of non alcoholic sparkling kava drinks called Kaviva. The couple resides in Austin, Texas, where Thomas moved to work towards a master’s degree in epidemiology and to train under coach Tonja Buford Bailey.

The disruptive fan said that his harassment resulted in Thomas losing her race, which led to him winning $1,000 in parlay bets. Gabby Thomas addressed the Toxic fan on X, writing:

"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."

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In their statements, FanDuel and Grand Slam Track condemned the fan’s behaviour. FanDuel said the person’s behavior was unacceptable and banned him for life from the platform. Meanwhile, Grand Slam Track said it was conducting a full investigation and had a zero tolerance policy on abuse.

Thomas is keeping her focus on training and her career in the wake of this controversy. She continues to receive support from her fans and her fiancé. The episode also highlights the increasing trend of harassment of athletes by sports bettors, and renewed calls for protections at sporting events.

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