Athlos NYC 2.0: Big Energy, Big Names, and Big Questions Ahead
By Noah JampolAlexis Ohanian’s Athlos track and field series returned to New York City for version 2.0 with more energy, a louder crowd, and even slicker production than version 1. The action began Thursday night with long jump qualifying in Times Square and wrapped Friday at Icahn Stadium, where attendance was up from the debut. Track’s two biggest U.S. names, Sha’Carri Richardson and Noah Lyles, watched from the stands as the meet blended star power with showmanship.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was honored for her legendary career, while fellow tennis GOAT Serena Williams, Ohanian’s wife, presented the Athlos crowns to each event winner. The biggest winner was Brittany Brown, who took home two crowns and $120,000 after sweeping the 100 and 200. In a quiet jab at rival Grand Slam Track, athletes were paid instantly via the Cash App while speaking to the media.
The performance of the night was Tara Davis-Woodhall’s world leading 7.13 in the long jump.
Faith Kipyegon ran 4:17.78 for the fastest mile ever on U.S. soil, turning back Gudaf Tsegay, with the top two finishing nearly a straightaway ahead of third-place Nikki Hiltz in a five-person field. Marileidy Paulino beat Salwa Eid Naser in the 400, and Keely Hodgkinson had no problem reversing her defeat at Worlds to training partner Georgia Hunter Bell in the 800, as she got the win in 1:56.53.
Below, LetsRun.com’s 2024 Poster of the Year and resident THOUGHTSLEADER, Noah Jampol, shares his takeaways from the night, from the crowd and production to what Athlos got right and wrong in version two.
#1 Vibes Are High at Athlos, but What’s Next?
Being there in person, the Athlos meet feels like a big event. The crowd, skewing younger and more female than most sporting events, is very hyped and loud for the big stars racing or hanging out in the VIP section. The production value is topnotch, to which the nighttime setting no doubt helps. Touches like the light show intros, the DJ, and giveaways keep the party atmosphere going in the sizable pauses between events. The athletes are excited to be there despite extending their seasons. That shows with their dancing, hyping up the crowd, and pre- and post-race enthusiasm.
Though the crowd was somewhere around 80–85% capacity (ticket prices are higher relative to the NYC Grand Prix), the place felt alive. But bigger questions loom now that Athlos will become a three-event league in 2026. Alexis Ohanian has admitted the meet will likely operate at a loss again this year, and he seemed open to that next year as well. How long can he keep that mindset? Timing and location of the meets will be paramount for the meet’s success in 2026. Those pitfalls played a huge role in Grand Slam Track’s struggles.
The positives? Ohanian seems committed and so far he’s taken appropriate time and care with this venture. Unlike the GST Kingston debacle, an investor or sponsor of Athlos could walk away from last night’s event wanting to put more into the meet and not less. And next year the event could add stars like Sha’Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas, and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden into the mix.
#2 Keely and Others React to Femke Bol’s Surprise Move to the 800m
Keely Hodgkinson knew the question was coming as soon as she stepped off the track. It turns out she also knew her good friend Femke Bol was moving into her domain before all of us did. Keely revealed that Bol texted her before announcing the pretty much unprecedented move to the 800, which was later confirmed publicly here: Femke Bol is moving up to the 800. Apparently, even that text wasn’t out of the blue for Keely, as Femke has dropped hints to her in the past that she (and not just LetsRun forum posters) is intrigued by her potential in the 800. Keely called Bol’s move “courageous” and “brave,” indicating she was already excited about a potential duel with her friend at the European Championships.
Keely, like everyone else I asked, including Henriette Jaeger and Nikki Hiltz, was bullish on Bol’s chances in the 800. Keely did mention an adjustment period when it came to battling for space with competitors. Nikki wondered about the differences in training. Still, the consensus from Femke’s colleagues was that they loved the move, and that they were expecting great things from the Dutch athlete.
Nikki Hiltz and Henriette Jaeger interviews here
#3 Tara Davis-Woodhall Dunks on Grand Slam Track
It was appropriate that Tara Davis-Woodhall, an athlete in a discipline shunned by GST czar Michael Johnson, would have the last laugh. After jumping 7.13 meters to win the meet and equaling her world lead, Tara made a point of showing the assembled media that Athlos’ Cash App partnership had already paid off with her $60,000 prize in her account (and an unrelated $18). The moment spoke volumes after GST’s high-profile financial troubles in paying athletes. Meanwhile, the meet itself was a showcase of Davis-Woodhall’s personal charisma and drawing power.
She garnered some of the biggest crowd reactions all night, and her advocacy got long jumpers and the standalone Thursday night Times Square showcase in the event in the first place. There were no field events at Athlos in 2024 and GST had no plans for field events. In the year 2025, any meet director not pushing to have Davis-Woodhall or Mondo Duplantis in their event probably needs their head examined. Davis-Woodhall showed this week that it remains Track AND Field for many fans, at least in attendance. Meet directors also might want to take note of the flashy elevated jump runway and creative scheduling that gave the long jumpers a literally elevated platform.
#4 Brittany Brown Owns This Meet, and Is a Dark Horse 200m Contender
After stunning headliner Gabby Thomas in the 200 last year, Brittany Brown did one better and pulled off the 100–200 double this year (she was runner-up to Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith last year in the 100). Brown had a trying season in 2025 with a surgery keeping her from training until late in the campaign. She snuck her way into Worlds via winning the Diamond League Final (a new pathway she and other Americans really like), but didn’t run her best in the Worlds final. While she was down on herself after that, her coach told her there was more there. Athlos showed that in eye-catching fashion. Running a personal best 21.89 (+1.9) in mid-50s temperatures was very impressive, even factoring for the near perfect following wind. Going sub-11 earlier in one of her only 100m performances of the year was special to her, as well. Brown’s shocked reactions after each race showed it all. While Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Julien Alfred, and a healthy Thomas will dominate the gold medal conversation, Brown might be a real contender with a full season of health at her back.
Odds and Ends
- Nikki Hiltz expressed the most excitement for the World Athletics Ultimate Championships of any athlete I’ve seen asked. The reason is that given the meet’s rankings-based qualification, Hiltz won’t have to pull off the difficult double-peak required to make a tough USA team and then ramp up again for a global championship. Hiltz was excited by World Cross Country and the 4x2K relay too, but was unsure of participating due to the fast-approaching timing of the Trials meet in Portland. World Indoors did sound like a go, though. Hiltz has a World Indoor silver in the 1500 from 2024.
- Keely Hodgkinson theorized her lack of racing showed in the 800 final at Worlds, when she wasn’t patient enough on the backstretch. Ultimately, Lilian Odira and Georgia Hunter-Bell waited longer and passed her in the final 100 meters.
- Unfortunately for American fans, Faith Kipyegon all but ruled out racing at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee. Tickets are already on sale: WXC Tallahassee 26 tickets. Considering Kipyegon (like many Kenyans) eschews indoor racing, the next time we will likely see her race outside of Kenya will be in a early season China Diamond League meet.
- After skipping World Indoors in China despite some top 60m marks and wins in 2025, Jacious Sears asserted she’d like to go if she has the opportunity in 2026.
- Flavor Flav joined this week’s trend of music stars claiming top track times by saying he ran 9.8–9.9 in the 100 meters in high school. While Jennifer Lopez’s 4:49 for 1500 meters seems plausible based on her documented youth exploits, this one seems a little more far-fetched. For context, see this thread: “JLo ran 4:49” discussion.
- I didn’t get to watch the TV broadcast, but similar to GST it seems one complaint was too much talk about how great the event was as opposed to letting the pictures show it. This is a valid critique in my eyes and I hope broadcasters can resist the temptation to fill the dead time on air with that, and instead lean into telling athletes’ stories.
- Site founder Robert Johnson asked me why 5,000 fans, and not a fully filled stadium, at this meet should be considered a success and Miami’s nearly sold-out GST meet deemed as disappointing. A fair question. The problem with Miami in my eyes was the facility looked a little small-time, more worthy of a Continental Tour Bronze meet than a top-level meet. Icahn has major drawbacks (hard to get to even for NYC residents, not that big), but it does look better on screen with its sizable grandstand. Additionally, the nighttime setting and atmosphere created by Athlos made it come across better than GST Miami.