Remember those epic walk-ins at the Paris Olympics and how Rinzler’s music set the perfect mood for the ultimate showdown in the men’s 100m? That moment was pure cinematic gold. But the women didn’t get that same pop-culture flair—until Alexis Ohanian stepped in and made sure they didn’t miss out at his all-female track event, Athlos. He’s cooking up something big with Athlos NYC, and this time, it’s all about giving the women athletes the hype they deserve before their races. And who’s backing him up? None other than the hype king himself, Noah Lyles!

Noah was so hyped, he jumped on X and said, “I love these introductions at @athlos I want to hear even more energy when announcing these Women!!! Forget trying to sound professional let’s get loud and extra!” The energy was undeniable—Athlos wasn’t just bringing the hype, it was setting a whole new vibe for track meets. But it doesn’t stop there!

Shamier Little, fresh off snagging her gold in Paris, couldn’t help but share what made it stand out, saying, “It’s just very… Black. Very turnt. Very vibey. Very cultured. Very exciting.” And of course, Noah came through with his own five-word review in a re-post: “Pop Culture 🤝🏾 Track and Field.”

Naturally, Alexis Ohanian had to drop some hints right after Noah Lyles’ shoutout. He posted, “Thank you, Noah! We agree, Running and Music go so well together. This is just PHASE I. PHASE II loading. We’ll only improve. And thank you for supporting these ladies in such a big way.” The track world better buckle up because more epicness is definitely on the way! And let’s not forget, this isn’t Noah Lyles’ first time hyping up those walk-ins and hype.

In fact, he broke it down in an Instagram video back in February 2024, giving us three reasons he’s all about the pre-race energy. First up, he wants “a place for athletes to show their own personalities.” Then, he’s thinking even bigger: “bring in this idea that we can start having stars walk almost this red carpet into our sport, showing that people outside the sport are coming and watching makes other people want to watch.”

Lastly, he’s all about respect: “if you have a platform for the older generations to come in and be treated like celebrities, how can we say to other celebrities to come to our track if we don’t even treat our own celebrities with respect?” Well, Alexis Ohanian was definitely taking notes because Athlos hit all those marks and more!

Speaking of that red-carpet energy and respect, right before Athlos kicked off, Track Spice on X shared a video of Olympic champ Masai Russell dancing during practice. Ohanian, in full dad-joke mode, tweeted, “There will be no dancing allowed at @athlos!! @masai_russell.” But Russell wasn’t having it and fired back, “I don’t think I’ll make it.” Ohanian folded fast, replying, “OK OK! You’re right. Walk-out songs WITH smoke and lights… And dancing.” And guess what? Just like that, Athlos became a truly historic event!

Athlos NYC sets the benchmark high with its lineup of firsts

Noah Lyles didn’t just throw out his pop culture comment for fun—Athlos NYC was a game-changer! Previously, Seven Seven Six announced Megan Thee Stallion would perform. “The fastest women in the world deserve nothing less than the best,” Alexis Ohanian said, and with Megan’s album being a hit, it was perfect. Plus, Lyles wanted to walk out to the Undertaker’s intro, and Ohanian made it happen! DJ Derrick ‘D-Nice’ Jones created custom walk-out songs for each athlete—a first in track history! But wait, there’s more!

Athlos NYC was all about the ladies, where every athlete walked away with some serious cash! Can you believe it? First-place finishers snagged a crazy $60,000 each—double what the Diamond League gives for its grand finale! And if they didn’t snag first place, no worries!

Second and third still walked away with $25,000 and $10,000, so they weren’t empty-handed. Even those finishing fourth to sixth left with $8,000, $5,000, and $2,500. Just when you thought it couldn’t get cooler, the winners got gorgeous crowns from Tiffany & Co. One standout? Brittany Brown raked in a whopping $85,000 after winning the 200m and snagging second in the 100m—an amount some athletes didn’t even earn in an entire season!

Now that’s what we call track royalty and making history! As more eyes turn to women’s events and the energy reaches new heights, events like Athlos are redefining the track and field experience. They’re not just putting on a show; they’re listening to what fans and athletes like Noah Lyles want!