On any given night, there are a million things to do in New York City — uptown galas, downtown dinner parties, Broadway shows. Last night, another event took the field: Athlos, the first-ever track and field event and celebration of women’s sports at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island.
Athlos, the brainchild of Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, the Greek word for “athlete,” attracted 36 of the world’s best female track and field stars to New York to compete. (It also brought a big party to the city; DJ D-Nice provided the live soundtrack; Lupita Nyong’o and Shonda Rhimes sat trackside; and Megan Thee Stallion’s performance capped the night.
Ohanon told Ascombe in the days before the event that Athlos was inspired by the same pattern he saw in women’s soccer when he invested in Los Angeles women’s soccer team Angel City FC: Players receive global attention every four years. “American women have always excelled in track and field,” he said. “During the Olympics we were all fascinated by these women, but for four years they disappeared.”
Ohanian, who founded and runs venture capital firm Seven Seven Six, officially announced the event with Gabby Thomas in April — just a month before Thomas broke the record at the Paris Olympics. “Obviously, it helps that Gabby won three gold medals,” Ohanian said of Athlos attracting top athletes and enthusiastic crowds, “but track and field is drawing everyone this year, and you’ll see these stars getting medals. It’s worth a lot more attention. It’s our job to make sure they continue to succeed between now and the next Olympics.”
While it took several months to perfect the logistics, securing the location was easy. “I was born in Fort Greene, so I’ve always had an affinity for this great city,” Ohanian said, referring to his Brooklyn roots. New York, home to legendary teams such as the Yankees and Knicks, is another draw. “Selfishly, I wanted to do something that would put Athlos at the center of athletic excellence.”
Last night, in front of Paris 2024 breakout fan Flavor Flav, Olympic medalist Sanya Richards-Ross and a large crowd of local high school students, many of whom were young track and field athletes, Athlos hosted six events: 100m, 200m, 400m, 100m hurdles, 800m and 1500m. Winners included Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (100m hurdles) and American Brittany Brown, who beat Thomas in the 200m. The coronation was worthy of the title: each first-place winner received a 925 sterling silver Tiffany & Co. trophy instead of a medal. The total amount of cash prizes exceeds $500,000, with each winner receiving $60,000 – an unprecedented feat in women’s track and field.
Ohanian has seen firsthand the pay gap between men’s and women’s sports and has watched it grow since marrying tennis legend Serena Williams in 2017. “Thanks to Billie [Jean King], thanks to Serena Williams and Venus, [tennis] is a very well-paid sport for women right now. Golf is another sport that’s tracking in terms of pay. But the track and field movement is still very, very, very far behind.”
The night really got rowdy when Megan Thee Stallion took the stage and performed a series of high-octane hits (often while nodding to the hot girls in the crowd).
Ohanian, who watched the event with friends and his 7-year-old daughter, Olympia, smiled at the end, though he said he saw everything he wanted to improve; “At least we’ll do it again next year,” he said. “I have ambition, our team has ambition. At the same time, we also know we have to find a way to get back here.”
Here are more photos from the inaugural Athlos event in New York City. Provided by Athlos
