Two-time Olympic medalist Sha’Carri Richardson, along with Olympic gold medalists Gabby Thomas and Tara Davis-Woodhall, will be advisors and owners in Athlos, the track and field competition launched last year.
Athlos will return to Icahn Stadium in New York City for a single night event on Oct. 25 this year, but it will feature a new team-based format for the 2026 season. The new teams will compete in multiple events in major cities, including the championship final. Athlos’ league competition will begin after the Diamond League season concludes.
How much equity each of the three athletes will have in the teams was not disclosed, but Athlos CMO Kayla Green said bringing the trio’s input is a way of giving athletes more ownership of the sports they take part in.
“We’re really at that stage of taking those steps to make sure that as we’re building this vision and the details around the vision, that we’re doing it with the athletes at the center,” she said in a phone interview.
Richardson, whose main event is the 100 meters, Thomas (200 meters) and Davis-Woodhull (long jump) are the latest female athletes to take equity stakes in a sports league. WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart launched the 3-on-3 women’s basketball league Unrivaled, which finished its first season in Miami in February.
Created by Alexis Ohanian, Athlos was founded to give track athletes a chance to not only earn more income but to keep their sport in the limelight after the Summer Olympics. Thomas, who also competes in another new track competition called Grand Slam Track, was the first to sign on with Ohanian’s group.
Athlos held its inaugural event last September to a packed house at Icahn Stadium. It was the first new major track competition to run after the Paris Games, with 3 million viewers across YouTube, ESPN+, ESPN2, DAZN and Twitter/X.
