The Athlos meet was a grand success, with all the female sprinters going home victorious in one way or another. Organizer Alexis Ohanian has been a champion of investing in women’s sports—an idea that eventually led to the development of this meet. And with stars like Gabby Thomas participating in the race, the crowd came pouring in, and with over 5000 sports enthusiasts in attendance, the event saw a massive turnout.
The overall energy across the arena was electrifying, with crowds cheering out loud for the women and the music making them groove. In the end, the athletes walked away not only with a satisfactory competition to end their seasons but also a loaded purse and other perks.
Thomas, in particular, had been excited about the event for quite some time, and after her run in the 200m sprint alongside the category winner, Brittany Brown, she stood by to interact with fans and celebs. That’s when she ended up giving Ohanian one of his best surprises throughout the event.
In a series of pictures posted by former Olympian and commentator Sanya Richards-Ross, Thomas featured in one of the several snapshots with none other than Ohanian and Serena Williams’ daughter, Olympia. The feature was one of the adorable moments from the event, and the entrepreneur was pleasantly surprised by it.
“How did I just now see this @olympiaohanian x @gabbythomas picture?!”
It turns out that Olympia pretty much had the sprinting star’s heart by showing up on the tracks during one of the practice sessions and running like a champ. Thomas had even shared Olympia’s picture on her socials, where she happily ran on the track while keeping a good form.
— Sam John (@SamJohn1190) September 30, 2024
When Ohanian noticed that his daughter had a heartwarming interaction with the Olympic gold medalist and brought it to fans’ notice, Thomas also re-shared his Instagram story.
The meeting aside, Athlos turned out to be more than just a racing competition for athletes to maybe walk away with some monetary benefits. Several pointed out how this was an event to celebrate women in sports and get more people to invest in such athletes and events.
The unconventional nature of the meet did raise some eyebrows from veterans like Rodney Green, who wasn’t sure how much it could do to make a mark in history, even though it sounded exciting to him. After all, track and field, in general, lacked primetime viewership unless it was the Olympics. This year, however, has been quite fruitful in those terms, with the Paris Olympics being one of the several reasons for the success of the sport.
Additionally, the nighttime aesthetic, celebrity presence, proximity to the athletes, and accessibility to the masses proved to be a game changer. Ohanian pointed out, on several instances, how female athletes only needed that monetary push and some promotional backing to provide one of the most poignant events in history.
