After months of buzzing anticipation, Alexis Ohanian’s brainchild, Athlos, is finally here—bringing a fresh wave of excitement to track and field. Athlos isn’t your run-of-the-mill track competition. Instead of walking away with shiny medals, athletes will cash in big prize money. Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit, is betting big on women’s sports with leading lady Gabby Thomas—and honestly, it feels like the perfect time. Women’s sports are getting the spotlight they deserve. Just look at the WNBA—this season, they’re racking up viewership like never before, with 2.2 million tuning in for the Indiana Fever vs. Seattle Storm game on ABC. In-person attendance is up 14% from last year, too!
Ohanian isn’t just making headlines; he’s making smart business moves. His NWSL team, Angel City FC, hit a $250 million valuation, and now he’s eyeing track and field as the next big opportunity. With Athlos, Ohanian is aiming to revolutionize how people view women’s sports. But Alexis isn’t doing it alone. From him to track legend Michael Johnson, there’s a growing wave of support. A bold shoutout from singer Adele during her concert also helped bring the spotlight onto the women’s track, earning praise from icons in the sport.
Athlos can bring a revolution, as proved by Adele
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On the 25th September episode of the Ready Set Go podcast, Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green talked about how Athlos could bring a change in track and field. Gatlin talked about how he respects the tournament for what it stands for. He believes that women in sports don’t get similar entertainment facilities as men do during sports events. For example, there was a light show before the 100-meter final at the Paris Olympics. However, there was no such thing before the women’s event.
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He said, “To be honest, I feel track and field women lead the charge in that, because we’re really one of the true sports that kind of create an even playing field, where a woman can be able to take the reign and hold the excitement of all of track and field.” He cited the example of the Adele concert.
On August 3rd, Grammy award-winning singer Adele was performing in Munich while the 100m women’s final was taking place in Paris. The ‘Rolling in the Deep’ singer decided to pause her concert and broadcast the whole 11-second race for the entire crowd as Julien Alfred went on to win the gold medal against Sha’Carri Richardson. Justin Gatlin praised the singer for this and said that it introduced track and field to a new crowd.
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The track legend said, “They probably never saw track and field in their life. But everyone who was there to watch Adele when she put it on the entire crowd was silent. They all watched.” After the broadcast, the British singer told the crowd to applaud Julien Alfred for her fantastic performance and went forward with the show. This showed how much she loved track and field. It also showed the potential female athleticism holds and how big it can be. Thus, it is one of the main reasons why Athlos can bring revolution to the sport.
What perks await the women in track and field?
New York City will experience something completely new on the 26th of September with Athlos. Alexis Ohanian’s event is the first of its kind as it is an all-female competition. The competition has big names like Gabby Thomas, who won three Olympic gold medals in Paris; Faith Kipyeong; Alexis Holmes; Marie Josee Ta Lou-Smith; and numerous others. In total, Athlos will have six categories of races with the 100m hurdling, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, and 1500m.
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Plus, the event’s not just about the races—Megan Thee Stallion and DJ D-Nice will be performing, making it a full-on spectacle. Imagine six thrilling races paired with a concert! Spectators are in for a treat. Athletes are too, with a $60,000 prize pool and 10% of the event’s revenue being distributed to them. Even better?
The meet will be broadcast live on ESPN+, YouTube, DAZN, and X/Twitter—a rare level of exposure for track in the U.S., where it can feel harder to find than the athletes themselves. It’s shaping up to be the next best thing in track and field since the Paris Olympics, with the potential to transform the sport forever.
