The 2024 track and field season is set to culminate in New York City with the ATHLOS NYC invitational on Thursday, September 26. This women-only event, hosted at Icahn Stadium, brings together a star-studded lineup of 36 athletes and offers an unprecedented top prize of $60,000 per event, making it one of the most lucrative meets in women’s track and field history.
Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, the brainchild behind the invitational, established ATHLOS NYC to inspire future generations of athletes. The competition will showcase the 100m, 200m, 400m, 100m hurdles, 800m, and 1500m, attracting some of the biggest names from the recent Paris Olympics.
Among the top headliners is sprinter Gabby Thomas, a three-time Olympic gold medalist in the 200m, 4x100m, and 4x400m relays. Thomas, making her first and only appearance since her incredible performance in Paris, co-founded ATHLOS NYC alongside Ohanian. “This meet is going to be the track event of the year,” said Thomas.
Joining Thomas on the world stage is Faith Kipyegon, the Kenyan middle-distance runner who cemented her legacy in Paris by winning her third Olympic 1500m gold and taking silver in the 5000m. Kipyegon also set a new 1500m world record earlier in the season. She expressed her excitement about competing in New York, saying, “I hope to inspire women everywhere with this event and the energy it brings from blending sport, music, and fashion.”
Alongside the elite competition, ATHLOS NYC will offer entertainment, featuring Grammy-winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion and DJ D-Nice. Athletes will also make their way onto the track with their own curated entrance music, adding to the electric atmosphere.
In addition to the $60,000 top prize for event winners, the prize pool at ATHLOS NYC dwarfs what’s available at other major meets like the Diamond League. For example, first-place finishers at the Diamond League final earned $30,000—half the reward offered in New York. Athletes finishing second to sixth will also share in the wealth, with payouts ranging from $25,000 to $2,500. Additionally, 10% of all event revenue will be distributed among all competitors, further enhancing their financial incentives.
The 100m race promises to be a major highlight of the event. British sprinter Daryll Neita, who secured fourth place in the Olympic 100m final—Britain’s best result in over six decades—will face off against Ivorian star Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith. Neita’s stellar season includes a personal best of 10.92 and a silver medal in the 200m at the European Championships. Meanwhile, Ta Lou-Smith, despite injury setbacks, posted a season-best time of 10.87, the fastest mark among the athletes competing in New York. Olympic 200m bronze medalist Brittany Brown, along with sprinters Zoe Hobbs, Celera Barnes, and Candace Hill, will also be in the mix.
The 400m event boasts an equally stacked field, led by Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino, who set an Olympic record with a time of 48.17 in Paris. She will face tough competition from Salwa Eid Naser, who claimed silver at the Olympics and is back on track after a two-year ban, as well as Alexis Holmes, who placed sixth in the Olympic final and helped the U.S. win gold in the 4x400m relay. Shamier Little, Lieke Klaver, and Lynna Irby-Jackson round out the highly competitive 400m lineup.
In the 800m, Kenya’s Mary Moraa is the favorite to win. Fresh off her Diamond League title and an Olympic bronze, Moraa has been dominant this season, setting a world-best time over 600m. She’ll face competition from Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma, who took Olympic silver, and a deep field of contenders, including Natoya Goule-Toppin, Halimah Nakaayi, and Nia Akins.
With its elite field, record-breaking prize pool, and lively atmosphere, ATHLOS NYC is poised to be a landmark event in the track and field calendar, offering a fitting finale to the 2024 season.
