Texas Chiropractic College alumni serve on Paris Olympics medical team

Chris Thomas, DC, a 2019 graduate of Texas Chiropractic College (TCC), and Asdrubal Lopez, DC, a 2010 TCC graduate, served on an elite medical team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The Olympics medical team served 140 athletes competing in Paris. According to a TCC press release, Thomas worked as a massage therapist and dry-needling specialist, while Lopez provided chiropractic care.

Meet Olympics medical team member Chris Thomas, DC

Thomas, who ran professionally for about 10 years, became interested in the chiropractic field after speaking with Seun Adigun, DC, a two-time Olympian and the founder of the first African bobsled team in the 2018 Olympics, who also graduated from TCC.

After graduation, Thomas opened his own practice and gained diverse experience as a massage therapist across multiple countries, including in the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. On the Olympics medical team at the Paris Games, he combined his skills in chiropractic care, massage therapy and dry needling — an advanced technique that became highly sought after by the athletes.

According to Thomas, an Olympics medical team member can alleviate the pressure of being in such an important role for an athlete’s performance at the Olympics by letting the athlete be in charge of the medical care they receive.

“They will let you know,” said Thomas. “As long as you keep the ball in their court…you don’t have to guess. And they will tell you; they’re very verbal.”

Thomas credits TCC, specifically the “standardized patients” — actors who perform as if they are  patients receiving chiropractic care during the DC program — for preparing him to handle a wide range of patient emotions.

“Especially during the trials…one person makes the team, the second is bawling in your arms because they did not make the team and they missed it by one little meter or one inch,” said Thomas.

Thomas encourages aspiring sports care specialists to pursue their dreams, noting that hard work and perseverance open doors to extraordinary opportunities.

Meet Olympics medical team member Asdrubal Lopez, DC

Lopez, one of two chiropractic practitioners on the medical team, built a career specializing in injury prevention and rehabilitation within elite sports environments through chiropractic care. While at TCC, he completed rotations at Rice University to gain experience with athletes and earned a certification in Active Release Technique, a specialized therapy that targets soft tissue injuries and works well for many professional athletes, including Olympic athletes.

Lopez’s journey to the Olympics medical team began in 2011 when he started working with USA Track & Field. Since then, Lopez has served for national championships, multiple Pan-American junior championships, indoor world championships and outdoor world championships, which led to him making the Paris 2024 Olympics medical team.

According to Lopez, working with elite athletes is often easier because they have a deep understanding of their own bodies, which facilitates effective treatment tailored to their unique requirements. Additionally, it helps minimize their nerves when they know their care team is specialized in the techniques they are used to, which also reduces the pressure on the Olympics medical team members.

“A lot of people are like, ‘well, is it hard working with athletes?’ And it’s actually sometimes easier because they know their body so well,” said Lopez. “They’ll tell you, ‘Oh, it hurts when I’m in my recovery phase of my gait’ or ‘Oh, it hurts me when I move my hip up at 40 degrees’…”

For sports chiropractic students and practitioners who aspire to be on the medical team for the future Olympics, Lopez also contends that hard work and persistence ultimately lead to these opportunities.

“The more you work…[the more] these opportunities will pop up,” said Lopez. “Don’t forget your value…and don’t minimize [the] profession.”

About Texas Chiropractic College

Since 1908, Texas Chiropractic College has led the way in chiropractic education. Our mission is to educate knowledgeable, skillful and patient-centered chiropractors. Our Moody Health Center is open to the public and has been serving Pasadena and surrounding communities since June 2000. To learn more, visit txchiro.edu or call 800-468-6839. Stay up to date with current news and events at Texas Chiropractic College by following our Facebook, X and Instagram.