\ud83d\udc40 What Athlos is, and why it\u2019s different<\/h2>\n\n\u2753 First, let\u2019s start with the origin story. <\/strong>Founded by Serena Williams\u2019 husband, Reddit co-founder, and Angel City FC investor Alexis Ohanian, the goal of Athlos NYC is to spotlight elite female track athletes year-round rather than just once every four-year Olympic cycle. The event was born out of Ohanian\u2019s belief that women\u2019s track is underinvested and undervalued.<\/p>\n\n- As for the meet itself, the vision is to blend sport and culture (more on that below), transforming a track meet into a marquee event where women\u2019s track stars can build audience familiarity and commercial momentum.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\ud83d\udc40 As you can imagine, Athlos NYC doesn\u2019t follow the classic playbook<\/strong>. For starters, there are only seven events \u2014 the 100m, 100m hurdles, long jump, 800m, 1 mile, 200m, and 400m \u2014 compared to, for example, an Olympic meet, which includes 48 contests across both track and field.<\/p>\n\n- Plus, the competition at Athlos NYC is only half the fun \u2014 Ciara (!!!) is performing at the meet, and each athlete gets their own walk-out song.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\ud83d\udcb8 Let\u2019s talk money.<\/strong> Athlos NYC burst on the scene in 2024 by offering the largest prize purse ever for a women\u2019s-only track meet: $60K (plus a gorgeous Tiffany & Co. crown<\/a>) to the winner of each race, $25K to the runner-up, and $10K for the third-place finisher<\/p>\n\n- The prize pool for this year remains a mystery, but organizers have promised it will be \u201cbigger and better<\/a>\u201d \u2014 and the aforementioned Ohanian is spilling some of the tea.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- When the results are confirmed, the winning athletes will immediately be sent their earnings via Cash App<\/a>\u2026and that\u2019s not all. If any athlete breaks a world record tomorrow, Cash App will send them a $250K bonus<\/a>. Okay, pay day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
\ud83d\udcc5 The events<\/h2>\n![\"Athlos](\"https:\/\/cdn.sanity.io\/images\/rdxk7lfa\/production\/ba496e18fd8601961f7a73e6a3fc6e35b845c34b-1600x900.jpg?rect=1,0,1598,900&w=600&h=338&q=75&fit=max&auto=format\")
<\/p>\nSource: Olympics.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n100m hurdles: <\/strong>As if sprinting at top speed wasn\u2019t enough, this star-studded field \u2014 highlighted by 2024 Olympic gold medalist Masai Russell<\/a> \u2014 will also tackle 10 hurdles along the way, overtaking them with textbook precision. Prepare to watch poetry in motion.<\/p>\n100m: <\/strong>C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire\u2019s Marie-Jos\u00e9e Ta Lou-Smith will be sprinting for a repeat Athlos 100m title, part of a busy night as she\u2019s also set to take on the 200m. Another runner to watch? American Jacious Sears, who holds the second-fastest 100m time in NCAA history.<\/p>\nLong jump: <\/strong>The aforementioned Davis-Woodhall and five fellow competitors will first take on tonight\u2019s 7:30 p.m. ET qualifying live from Times Square, with the top three advancing to tomorrow\u2019s final. Ready to soar.<\/p>\n800m: <\/strong>A mid-distance race requiring both endurance and speed, a lot can happen over the 800m\u2019s two laps around the track \u2014 and that\u2019s especially true given the deep field at Athlos. It\u2019s anyone\u2019s guess who\u2019ll top the podium in this one.<\/p>\n1 mile: <\/strong>The inaugural Athlos one-mile race will feature some of the greatest to take the distance on. Three-time Olympic 1500m gold medalist and world record holder Faith Kipyegon will toe the line, alongside American 1500m champion Nikki Hiltz, a fan favorite for everything from their TikTok game<\/a> to their finishing kick.<\/p>\n200m: <\/strong>Blink and you\u2019ll miss it. The 200m requires athletes to give it their all straight out of the starting blocks. American Brittany Brown is back to defend her 2024 200m Athlos crown, but two of her compatriots, Olympians Anavia Battle and McKenzie Long, will give her a, well, run for her money.<\/p>\n400m: <\/strong>Widely regarded as the hardest event in track & field, the 400m involves runners moving at a full-on sprint\u2026for an entire lap around the track. The Dominican Republic\u2019s Marileidy Paulino capped off her undefeated Olympic gold medal\u2013winning 2024 campaign by topping the 400m podium at Athlos<\/a>. Can she do it again?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\ud83d\udcfa How to tune in<\/h2>\n![\"Athlos](\"data:image\/jpeg;base64,\/9j\/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj\/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj\/wAARCAAKABQDASIAAhEBAxEB\/8QAGAAAAwEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGBAf\/xAAhEAADAAEDBAMAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMAESExBAUGEiIyYf\/EABYBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIDBP\/EABsRAQACAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAgMRBCEx\/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwDn1\/JbdR0V5BpVjRCjINtR+jItezvR\/iFUNr6knbNPiSq1aeyg88jGdwAzADYZDHV7NzfkK2sOvZJ37aZWZG5B0Om+GNa\/c4YW6MZx6Juf\/9k=\")
![\"Athlos](\"https:\/\/cdn.sanity.io\/images\/rdxk7lfa\/production\/fafd7c844cb88f7f430d55b21c062fdf0970370a-1200x630.jpg?w=600&h=315&q=75&fit=max&auto=format\")
<\/p>\nSource: Athlos NYC<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nWhether you\u2019re a track & field fanatic, new to this fast-paced sport, or just want to watch Ciara shine, Athlos NYC is a must-watch women\u2019s sports moment. <\/strong>Tune in tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET on ION, which you can find in your area by clicking this link<\/a>. See you at the finish line.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\u2753 First, let\u2019s start with the origin story. <\/strong>Founded by Serena Williams\u2019 husband, Reddit co-founder, and Angel City FC investor Alexis Ohanian, the goal of Athlos NYC is to spotlight elite female track athletes year-round rather than just once every four-year Olympic cycle. The event was born out of Ohanian\u2019s belief that women\u2019s track is underinvested and undervalued.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc40 As you can imagine, Athlos NYC doesn\u2019t follow the classic playbook<\/strong>. For starters, there are only seven events \u2014 the 100m, 100m hurdles, long jump, 800m, 1 mile, 200m, and 400m \u2014 compared to, for example, an Olympic meet, which includes 48 contests across both track and field.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcb8 Let\u2019s talk money.<\/strong> Athlos NYC burst on the scene in 2024 by offering the largest prize purse ever for a women\u2019s-only track meet: $60K (plus a gorgeous Tiffany & Co. crown<\/a>) to the winner of each race, $25K to the runner-up, and $10K for the third-place finisher<\/p>\n Source: Olympics.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n 100m hurdles: <\/strong>As if sprinting at top speed wasn\u2019t enough, this star-studded field \u2014 highlighted by 2024 Olympic gold medalist Masai Russell<\/a> \u2014 will also tackle 10 hurdles along the way, overtaking them with textbook precision. Prepare to watch poetry in motion.<\/p>\n 100m: <\/strong>C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire\u2019s Marie-Jos\u00e9e Ta Lou-Smith will be sprinting for a repeat Athlos 100m title, part of a busy night as she\u2019s also set to take on the 200m. Another runner to watch? American Jacious Sears, who holds the second-fastest 100m time in NCAA history.<\/p>\n Long jump: <\/strong>The aforementioned Davis-Woodhall and five fellow competitors will first take on tonight\u2019s 7:30 p.m. ET qualifying live from Times Square, with the top three advancing to tomorrow\u2019s final. Ready to soar.<\/p>\n 800m: <\/strong>A mid-distance race requiring both endurance and speed, a lot can happen over the 800m\u2019s two laps around the track \u2014 and that\u2019s especially true given the deep field at Athlos. It\u2019s anyone\u2019s guess who\u2019ll top the podium in this one.<\/p>\n 1 mile: <\/strong>The inaugural Athlos one-mile race will feature some of the greatest to take the distance on. Three-time Olympic 1500m gold medalist and world record holder Faith Kipyegon will toe the line, alongside American 1500m champion Nikki Hiltz, a fan favorite for everything from their TikTok game<\/a> to their finishing kick.<\/p>\n 200m: <\/strong>Blink and you\u2019ll miss it. The 200m requires athletes to give it their all straight out of the starting blocks. American Brittany Brown is back to defend her 2024 200m Athlos crown, but two of her compatriots, Olympians Anavia Battle and McKenzie Long, will give her a, well, run for her money.<\/p>\n 400m: <\/strong>Widely regarded as the hardest event in track & field, the 400m involves runners moving at a full-on sprint\u2026for an entire lap around the track. The Dominican Republic\u2019s Marileidy Paulino capped off her undefeated Olympic gold medal\u2013winning 2024 campaign by topping the 400m podium at Athlos<\/a>. Can she do it again?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Source: Athlos NYC<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Whether you\u2019re a track & field fanatic, new to this fast-paced sport, or just want to watch Ciara shine, Athlos NYC is a must-watch women\u2019s sports moment. <\/strong>Tune in tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET on ION, which you can find in your area by clicking this link<\/a>. See you at the finish line.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\ud83d\udcc5 The events<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n\ud83d\udcfa How to tune in<\/h2>\n
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