It’s happening! Sha’Carri Richardson is officially running at ATHLOS NYC 2025. On October 10, the track world shifts its focus to New York City, where ATHLOS, a women-only meet created by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, is set to light up the Big Apple. The event was already packed with talent: Gabby Thomas, Masai Russell, Marileidy Paulino, and Jasmine Camacho-Quinn were leading the headlines. But now that Sha’Carri is in the lineup, the energy is completely different. This isn’t just another meet; it’s the moment. But before it was official, the clues were already there.

On 28th May, Alexis had been dropping indirect hints about her return. He posted a clip of Sha’Carri’s 100m win at the 2023 World Championships with the caption, “It’s been too long since we broke the internet with @ATHLOS news. WYD tomorrow?” Fans speculated, hoping, waiting.  And if you’ve forgotten what she’s capable of, here’s a quick reminder. In 2023, Sha’Carri took the gold in the 100m with a championship record time of 10.65 seconds.

Sha’Carri Richardson followed that up with a bronze in the 200m, finishing just behind Gabby Thomas and Shericka Jackson, and helped Team USA win gold in the 4x100m relay, setting yet another record with a time of 41.03 seconds. After that race, she said it best: “I’m ready mentally, physically, and emotionally… I’m not back—I’m better.” That wasn’t just a soundbite. That was a mission statement.

Now it’s confirmed, Sha’Carri Richardson is back, and this will be her first race in NYC since 2022. ATHLOS NYC 2025 was already stacked, but the moment Athlos dropped that video, everything changed. The clip featured Sha’Carri in full beast mode, with the caption: “Time waits for no one. Unless you can outrun it. @itsshacarri has arrived.” Boom, instant internet meltdown. The track and field world went absolutely wild. Comments were flying, fans were losing it, and just like that, ATHLOS didn’t just level up; it became the event to watch this season.

The heat is on as fans say it’s anyone’s race between Sha’Carri Richardson and Gabby Thomas

One fan added, “LOL, you’re never subtle, lol. Obviously, the news is she’s running Athlos. That’s great! But you gotta work on not being so obvious, lol. I knew when you recently started out of the blue retweeting her stuff, this is what it meant.” But there’s a deeper meaning here. Ohanian has long admired Sha’Carri Richardson’s strength, saying, “She’s got this amazing energy; she’s great on the track, and she has this big personality.”

He’s also been vocal about how unfair he felt her doping ban was in 2021, even drawing parallels to his public battles and setbacks. Another fan chimed in, “No shade, but Sha’Carri’s energy might just leave Gabby eating her dust this time.” Yet another added, “It’s time for Sha’Carri to take revenge.” Their rivalry has been intense, if anything.

At the 2023 World Championships 200m final, Gabby Thomas narrowly edged out Sha’Carri Richardson; Gabby took silver in 21.81 seconds, while Sha’Carri claimed bronze with 21.92 seconds. Then, at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, Gabby once again bested Sha’Carri, winning in 21.81 seconds while Sha’Carri finished fourth in 22.16 seconds, missing out on the Olympic team.

But despite their fierce competition, the two came together for Olympic glory at the 2024 Paris Games. Running for Team USA in the women’s 4x100m relay, Gabby ran the third leg and handed the baton to Sha’Carri Richardson, who anchored the team with a blazing 10.09-second split. Their combined effort led the U.S. to gold with a winning time of 41.78 seconds—a reminder that even rivals can unite to achieve greatness.

 One fan threw some serious shade, saying, “Gabby’s social media flexes ain’t gonna save her when Sha’Carri’s on the track.” Another jumped in with, “Is Athlos gonna crash the feed again? My notifications are READY!” And someone else hyped it up: “Sha’Carri at Athlos? Yessss, the queen is BACK. I’m so ready to watch her shine!” So, what’s going on with these two? Gabby Thomas is not messing around in 2025.

She’s all in on the new Grand Slam Track (GST) series, Michael Johnson’s brainchild. At the Kingston Slam in April, she switched it up from short sprints to longer races and crushed it, winning the 200m in 22.62 and the 400m in 49.14 seconds, scoring a cool $100K. Then, in Miami, she set a new course record in the 200m with a blazing 21.95 and grabbed fourth in the 100m.

Plus, Gabby’s been sharing life updates on her socials. After all, she just got engaged to Spencer McManes after a dreamy rooftop proposal in Austin. But hold up, Sha’Carri Richardson’s 2025 debut at the Golden Grand Prix in Tokyo didn’t quite hit the mark. She ran 100m in 11.47 seconds, finishing fourth, her slowest since 2021. The surprise winner? Australia’s Bree Rizzo, who blew her personal best out of the water with 11.38.

Close behind were Sha’Carri’s Star Athletics teammate TeeTee Terry and Canada’s Sade McCreath, who edged Sha’Carri out by a mere 0.01 seconds. With Gabby’s busy schedule coming up, including Philly, L.A., the USA Nationals, and ATHLOS NYC in October, this rivalry is heating up for what’s sure to be an epic season. Who’s got your money?