Sporting bright blue and the Puerto Rican flag, Gabby Scott (’15) faced the 80,000 sold-out seats and deafening cheers above her in the Stade de France, a stadium bigger than any she’d ever competed in before, as she prepared for the race of her life.
Scott anticipated the moment when she would soon cross the finish line on the vibrant purple track. She had long imagined this moment, but now, on the world’s biggest stage, her dreams were finally reality. There she was: at the 2024 Olympic Games.
“You’re behind the blocks and you hear the screams and it’s just another moment like, ‘Wow. I made it here,’” Scott said. “I just focus on staying calm and remembering my training. You know, I’ve done all the work that I possibly can at this point. I just have fun and let loose.”
Competing in her first Olympic Games earlier this month in Paris, Scott finished as a semifinalist in the women’s 400m, hitting two personal bests while also breaking a national record twice for Puerto Rico. She set a new national record with a time of 50.74 seconds in Round 1, Aug. 5. Scott then broke that record with a time of 50.52 seconds in the Repechage round the following day.
“Being on that track was absolutely amazing and was definitely one of those moments where it’s like, ‘Okay, I really made it,” Scott said.
Scott said that representing Puerto Rico, the island where her mom was born and raised, has helped her build a greater connection with her heritage.
“Before, my mom had to put in a lot of work to make sure I stayed close to those roots,” Scott said. “There’s not really a huge Puerto Rican community in San Diego. Now there’s really that connection where I speak a lot more Spanish, listen to Latin music, and cook the food. Now it feels a lot more natural and I have a real understanding, love, and desire for that Puerto Rican culture.”
Through a series of coincidental connections, Scott got in touch with the Track Federation of the Puerto Rican Olympic Committee in 2017. She made her debut with the Puerto Rican National Team in the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games.
“My mom’s cousin’s husband happened to be best friends from college with someone who worked within the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee,” Scott said. “So the husband reached out on my behalf while I was visiting the island in 2017. The friend was out of town but got me connected with the Track Federation. I met with them to discuss my future and it was history from there, literally. I competed for Puerto Rico in 2018 for the first time and ever since!”
For Scott, representing Puerto Rico was always her dream because of the close-knit community within the island and strong bonds with their athletes.
“I think I’m representing something bigger than myself by representing Puerto Rico,” Scott said. “With Puerto Rico, we’re a lot smaller of a team, so the community really gets to know you. They’re watching you grow and they’re loving and supporting you through your journey. You’re actually able to create a connection. That’s just big for me in general with my life. To me, it was always a no-brainer to represent [Puerto Rico].”
Amidst the glory of the Olympic games, Scott said that she experienced feelings of self-doubt from the immense pressure that came with being center-stage in the world’s largest international athletic showcase. According to Scott, she was competing against “the best in the world.”
“I had moments of being anxious and I didn’t want to fail,” Scott said. “I didn’t want to run poorly. I was just really proud of myself for managing any anxiety or doubts because I still had those; they still exist regardless. So I was really happy to push past that and run the best that I ever had. I wanted to make it to finals, but honestly, for my personal bests, ones that I’ve known I’ve been capable of for the whole season, to happen on the biggest stage meant a lot to me.”
Scott said that some of her biggest supporters are her parents and her boyfriend, DJ Smith, who also competed in the Olympics as a member of Puerto Rico’s national team in 2016. Scott said that Smith, also her strength coach, sees the process of her training more than anyone else.
“[Smith] having been through the process just really helped me to know what it takes to get there,” Scott said. “He’s a big support, and, of course, my parents as well. They were the type of parents who made me feel like I could accomplish anything, and that can help a kid be successful to know, ‘I can try and I can fail, but I can still reach this point.’”
Scott said she attributes the start of her track career to Jamal Felton, her former track coach, while she was a Westview student. Scott said she always dreamed of being an Olympian, but originally envisioned herself playing soccer or volleyball at the Olympic Games. She had played soccer for 13 years, then joined Westview’s volleyball team. It wasn’t until she was approached by Felton that she joined track and recognized that the sport could be her road to the Olympics.
Courtesy of Gabby Scott
“It was because Coach Jamal was begging me to try [track],” Scott said. “He was actually the first one to be like, ‘You will reach the highest point in this sport.’ I always wanted to be an Olympian. I just thought it was going to be soccer first, and then volleyball. Then track just ended up being the better option. Eventually, I got connected with Puerto Rico, and that’s when it actually started slowly becoming a reality: the path to becoming an Olympian.”
Scott said Felton’s support motivated her to progress through her athletic career without burning out as a student-athlete. They kept in touch even after Scott graduated from Westview in 2015 and are still close to this day.
“As someone who I think has always been the underdog, the biggest thing I learned was that it’s good to have support and to always be careful of who you share your big dreams with,” Scott said.
Scott moved from San Diego to begin her collegiate career at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she finished in second place in the 2019 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships 400m hurdles with a time of 56.04. Although she was considered the underdog for the majority of her time at Westview and the University of Colorado Boulder, Scott said that Felton’s support of her dream helped her reach the Olympic stage.
“Westview was not known as a track school,” Scott said. “Even at Colorado, no one expected a sprinter to come from there and finish second at nationals. Even though people will doubt you and speak down to your dreams, you have to believe in yourself. When you have that vision in your heart of what you’re capable of, you have to keep pushing it. You can still get there.”
Scott said she wants to pass on the encouragement she received from Felton, her family, her boyfriend, San Diego, and Puerto Rico by inspiring young athletes to follow their dreams.
“I’m grateful for my support all over the world, but I always say San Diego has a special place in my heart,” Scott said. “I always claim that city very heavily, as much as I claim being proudly Puerto Rican.”
For now, Scott is taking a well-deserved break: spending time with family and visiting friends in San Diego and Colorado. With her times from the Olympics, Scott qualified to compete in the World Athletics Championships to be held in Tokyo in September 2025. Scott said she’ll continue to train in Orlando in preparation for the World Athletics Championships.
As the underdog in much of her athletic career, Scott said she knows how people will discourage those with big dreams.
“My biggest advice is just never be scared of big dreams,” Scott said. “When you see that vision for yourself, keep working at it, keep believing in yourself.”
Scott said that along her journey to the Olympics, she learned it’s important to keep pushing forward because fulfilling dreams is possible.
“I wasn’t a top runner-athlete back when I was competing in high school,” Scott said. “I wasn’t this prodigy, none of that. I just worked hard and believed in myself and I kept going. I think if you have those things and you have that work ethic and that faith, you can do anything on and off the track, in and out of sports, anything in life. That’s how you can make it happen.”
