After one of the most coveted events of the season, Alexis Ohanian took it to X to re-share an exciting after-movie of Athlos. The video featured multiple women athletes who headlined various track events and also showed the fans who flocked to meet them. In the post, Alexis kept it short and sweet; he wrote, “Y’all made history!!” History was surely made!

Athlos will go down as one of the biggest steps taken towards women’s track and field. The event saw 35 women from 14 countries, including 30 Olympians, competing across six distances. Every 20 minutes, races took place with live broadcasts and a trackside DJ providing walk-out music. Athlos turned the track into an unmissable extravaganza. And to add to the iconicity, the venue chosen was Icahn Stadium in New York City.

One of the greatest performances this season saw has to be from Kenyan middle-distance runner Faith Kipyegon, who won the 1500m race. Following this, with an equally stunning performance, is Dominican athlete Marileidy Paulino. She concluded her flawless season with yet another 400m win after the Paris Olympics. However, not everyone could keep up with their winning streaks.

Gabby Thomas, the gold medalist in 200m at Paris, had an unfortunate end to the season. She finished behind Brittany Brown, who won the 200m and also finished second in the 100m. Another name that caught the headlines at Athlos was none other than America’s beloved Masai Russell. Much like Gabby, Masai, despite winning gold at Paris, could not keep up the pace at Athlos. However, Masai did not return empty-handed.

Masai Russell went on to clock 12.44 in the 100 m hurdles and won the bronze medal. Peurto Rican athlete Jasmine Camacho-Quinn took the gold race Masai ran. Apart from the brilliance on track, the stands also turned into an event of their own accord. Celebrities like beloved rapper Flavor Flav, soccer legend Ashlyn Harris, and tennis champion and Alexis’ wife Serena Williams made appearances at the event. To top it all off, Megan Thee Stallion performed at the closing ceremony.

Athlos is proving to be a big step in the right direction

Athlos is not just catching attention for the big names that it’s bringing onto the track. But also for addressing longstanding issues within the sport. Historically, track and field leagues and events have faced challenges. They often lack effective packaging, which leads to broadcast issues. When broadcasters air these events, they struggle to maintain consistent visibility. And when the same comes to women athletes, the condition is worse. Alexis Ohanian saw this gap and, thus, happened the conceptualization of Athlos.

Post-Athlos 2024, Alexis Ohanian went on to throw light on the broader dialogue. “When people see this in person when people see the conversation online, hopefully that makes the conversation with these broadcast partners for next year,” he said. Alexis was also asked about why he thinks that Athlos might last as compared to previous attempts at creating leagues. “Well, I’m going to go back to the why that we built this on, was rooted in what the very best athletes said they wanted,” he added.

Alexis also went on to say, “They all acknowledged. They were like, look, you’re an outsider; you’ve clearly never run track before in my life. Yes, I had success obviously with Angel City and building in women’s sports, but I think what they appreciated was that our number one priority was making something that the athletes would say was the best for their lives.”

This perspective, when combined with a collaborative approach, definitely gives Athlos the potential to endure and last. From the looks of it, Athlos 2025 is going to be a much grandiose spectacle. And more importantly, Athlos looks like it is here to stay!