Billie Jean King reacts as Gabby Thomas urges her to try her intense "The Impossible Mile" challenge

The former tennis great Billie Jean King recently reacted as Gabby Thomas urged her to try her "The Impossible Mile" challenge." The American sprinter has been absent from competitions after suffering from an Achilles injury, including the 2025 WAC.

Days after her withdrawal, Thomas made her return to the track. The Olympian attempted 'the impossible mile' with her training partner and sprinter Bianca Stubler. The session included a series of difficult exercises, including burpees, walking lunges, bear crawl, and sprinting with an amusing twist.

Several days after she shared the glimpse of her workout, Thomas appeared on the 'Welcome to the Party' podcast alongside Jean King. During the conversation, she encouraged the participants to try her arduous workout, saying:

"The other day I did try 'The Impossible Mile.' I don't know if y'all have seen that on the internet, it will be so fun if y'all tried this," Thomas said. "It is you burpee, broad jump one lap, you walking lunge one lap, you bear crawl one lap, and then the last one sprint."

As soon as the sprinter finished describing the workout, the former World No.1 and 12-time singles Grand Slam title winner, who appeared to be amused, quickly gave a her reaction, saying:

"Not happening."

Gabby Thomas suffered from an Achilles injury in May, which further worsened in later months, forcing her to end her quest for her first individual gold medal at the World Championships stage.

"You simply can’t outwork an injury" - Gabby Thomas opens up after withdrawing from World Athletics Championships

Gabby Thomas at the University of Pennsylvania. (Photo source: Getty Images)

In an interview with Olympics.com after withdrawing from the World Championships, Gabby Thomas accepted that she had disappointed her fans. However, she also highlighted the importance of recovery while stating that sometimes an injury can't be cured without any rest.

“I understand that it will be disappointing for some track fans to hear this news, but I’ve finally come to the realization that it’s OK to be human and take care of myself. As an athlete, you always want to keep grinding, but sometimes you simply can’t outwork an injury. Sometimes it’s about patience and making the right decision for the long term."

The injury also affected Gabby Thomas' performance at the USATF Championships (which served as trials) where she finished third in the 200m with a time of 22.20 seconds.

Edited by Janhavi Shinde