Alexis Ohanian planned his brainchild, Athlos NYC, to be grand and revolutionary. But come September 26, the lineup for the first event itself had his plans bite the dust. The 100-meter hurdles were the opening event for the night, and the six athletes entered with lights, smoke, and music— everything as Ohanian promised. Among others, there was the reigning 100m hurdles Olympic Champion, Masai Russell, who entered the arena looking as confident as ever.

The 2nd fastest American woman in the event in track history, she would have dreamt of dominance. However, the results did not end in her favor. If anything, she slipped way below her expectations, clocking 12.44 seconds for bronze, which was 0.08 seconds slower than the winning time of the evening by Jasmine Camacho-Quinn. In fact, it was even 0.01 second behind fellow American Alaysha Johnson.

While Masai Russell missed the Tiffany & Co. crown and the $60,000 prize money at Alexis Ohanian’s event by more than just a hair’s breadth, she soon voiced some shocking allegations. Speaking to the reporters post her race, Russell said, “I want to protest because as anyone can see, there was a lot of flinching going on at the starting line, so that kind of affected me. I was playing catchup the whole entire race. It’s a lot of prize money on the line and I think the person who ran the legal race should get the prize money they deserve.”

When Russell entered the field, she instantly took her spot in lane 6. She had Danielle Williams next to her in lane 7, while Jasmine Camacho-Quinn was on the other side in lane 5. The possibility of a momentary confusion cannot be ruled out, as Williams was seen pointing towards the lanes and speaking to her competitors.

However, there was no change in final positions, as most of them were seen in the same lanes they stood in when they entered. Yet, after the race, Russell remarked that her agent had gone to speak to the meeting director of Alexis Ohanian’s Athlos NYC.Also, Masai Russell’s remarks, which endanger the reputation of the circuit, come right after she’d shown great excitement to be a part of it. Here’s what she had initially said.

Masai Russell’s for Alexis Ohanian’s event comes after initial excitement

Until recently, Russell’s outlook on Alexis Ohanian’s first-of-its-kind event for women athletes was spotless: “I feel like track is kicking down that door.” Speaking to CitiusMag, she had mentioned how her mind was invariably pulled toward this event, given that its prize money was too good to not notice. If anything, she was looking forward to it: “I don’t know if its the prize money or just the amazing field and being part of such an elite and first-time event.”

On the other hand, Alexis Ohanian’s vision for this event was lofty too. He not only believed in the power of women’s track but wanted to help inspire the next generation. “This is just the start,” he said even after bringing a luxury jewelry partner Tiffany on board. And the prize money? Well, he’s always boasted about that. He asked the women athletes, ‘Hey, so what is your top prize at the end of a season for winning?’ And when they answered $30,000, he said, “Great, I’m going to double it for one single race.” 

Evidently, that became a point of contention today for Masai Russell, who wasn’t happy about taking home $10,000 for the third place, while she could have banked $60,000 had things gone well. Alexis Ohanian also wished for all eyes to be drawn towards his sport, for which he broadcast it on YouTube, X, ESPN, and DAZN. Thus, this, including various unique aspects of this meet, had left participating athletes like Russell to say that they are glad to be part of this historic annual meet.

But, at least she had a differing opinion today. Also, while she had announced that she’ll be done for the season with this meet, the concerns she has raised hint that her last race of the season seems to be a blemished memory. What do you think about the Athlos NYC and the possibility of a mishap? Let us know below.