“Athlos may have passed on her, but that doesn’t diminish the fact that she embodies everything athletes stand for: grit, perseverance, and never giving up, no matter what.” Reddit’s co-founder and Serena Williams’ husband, Alexis Ohanian, was clear enough when he talked about Sha’Carri Richardson back in October 2024. Context? Back then, she did not participate in his league, ATHLOS. Cut to a year later, she’s been officially named a headline athlete and founding advisor-owner for ATHLOS 2025. And Richardson has dropped just the right response to joining Ohanian!

On June 12, 2025, Sha’Carri Richardson took to social media to acknowledge Alexis Ohanian’s work in women’s sports. She took a post from ATHLOS on the day of Ohanian’s birthday, April 24th, and shared a heartfelt message. The picture was that of Alexis with his daughter in his arms, the two of them smiling. Taking the ATHLOS Instagram post to her story, she wrote, “@alexisohanian Thank You for believing in Women Sports.” 

And Sha’Carri has put it right, Ohanian has done a lot for women’s sports. Taking track and field into context, the very league he founded, ATHLOS, is a women-only meet. In 2024, it featured 36 elite female athletes and paid record prize money totaling over $500,000, with $60,000 awarded to each event winner. After the success of its inaugural event, ATHLOS is all set to debut a team-based track and field league in 2026, with Olympic gold medalists Sha’Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas, and Tara Davis-Woodhall on board as founding adviser-owners. Richardson herself is going to don the sprinting gear for the 2025 season of the meet.

Instagram embeJust to give you a little context of how Ohanian is making it for women’s sports, in May 2025, he acquired a 10% stake in Chelsea Women’s Football Club for approximately £20 million (approx. $27 million).

However, Sha’Carri’s message comes at a time when the track and field world is wrapping its head around an abrupt decision. The Los Angeles leg of the Grand Slam Track series—set for June 28–29 at UCLA’s Drake Stadium was called off by Olympic legend Michael Johnson. This was supposed to be the biggest moment of the league’s debut season, with huge payouts like $100,000 per win making headlines. Fans were still wondering if Sha’Carri would join GST, especially after she officially signed on with Athlos. But now, with GST ending early due to financial and operational challenges, her message to Athlos carries even more weight. And now, the divide between the two leagues seems even wider.

Grand Slam Track’s sudden goodbye

“The decision to conclude the inaugural Grand Slam Track™ season is not taken lightly, but one rooted in a belief that we have successfully achieved the objectives we set out to in this pilot season, and the importance of looking towards 2026 and beyond,” shared Michael Johnson, Founder and Commissioner of Grand Slam Track. The highly anticipated final meet of the inaugural Grand Slam Track (GST) season, originally scheduled for the final week of June 2025 in Los Angeles, has been officially canceled.

The event was set to take place at UCLA’s Drake Stadium and would have marked the fourth and final leg of the series, following stops in Kingston, Miami, and Philadelphia. Organizers cited financial and operational challenges. On the Grand Slam Track website, Johnson’s official statement says, “The global economic landscape has shifted dramatically in the past year, and this business decision has been made to ensure our long-term stability as the world’s premier track league.”

“Our attention is now on 2026, with our eyes set on continuing to deliver the best-in-class storytelling, content, and competition that we have become known for in our debut year,” continued Johnson. Kenny Bednarek & Melissa Jefferson-Wooden were crowned the inaugural Racers of the Year.

Well, fans who had booked the tickets for LA have been promised refunds. But it was definitely a heartbreak. How do you feel?