Athlos returns to New York City on October 10, 2025. For those who remember the event’s inaugural edition from last year, know that with Athlos NYC 2025, co-founder Alexis Ohanian will once again aim to blend high-level women’s track competition with live music, DJ sets, and fan-first entertainment at Icahn Stadium. The event bills itself as “music festival meets track meet,” with walk-out songs, on-track activations, and a star-studded athlete lineup announced by the organizers. But fans want to get an update on two special hurdlers: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Femke Bol.

Overview of Athlos NYC 2025

Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian’s dream project, Athlos NYC, launched as a women-only professional track and field event designed to put athletes at the centre, both financially and creatively, and it returns this weekend to Icahn Stadium, the exciting venue on Randall’s Island in Manhattan. The meet is explicitly built as an entertainment experience as much as a competition, promising live music and a festival vibe alongside prize money and athlete revenue shares.

Last year, Ohanian & Co. set the bar high by announcing $60,000 prize money for Athlos gold medalists, a jaw-dropping figure that even the World Championships or the Diamond League doesn’t pay athletes. Obviously, fans hope to see something even bigger this time around.

Athlos has already publicly named a swathe of Olympic medalists and elite sprinters, and mid-distance runners from the US and beyond among the early commitments. Names like Tara Davis-Woodhall and Masai Russell have been mentioned in the announced lineup. But two key names from the track world seem missing still, and fans just want their curiosity quenched.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone: Recent performance and schedule

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s 2025 season has been one of the biggest storylines in world sprinting. After electing to add the 400m flat to her program this year (a switch she discussed publicly), McLaughlin-Levrone ripped through international fields on national and world stages, producing eye-catching times and headlines as she chased the top marks every time. The season, which started with a bang at Kingston for Grand Slam Track (Sydney won gold in both the 400m and the 400mH), has only gotten better with each race.

At the 2025 World Athletics Championships, held in Tokyo in September, she posted one of the season’s standout performances: an American-record level run in the rounds and then a championship-defining finish, which underscored that she’s an athlete with both range and star power. In both the heats and the semifinals of the women’s 400m, McLaughlin-Levrone maintained a consistent run. But no one really expected her to defy all expectations and whip out a startling 47.78 (AR, NR) in the finals to win gold, putting her within sights of Marita Koch’s longstanding WR. Then, she went on to lend her thunderous speed to her national teammates to claim gold in the women’s 4x400m relay!

Those results have tightened her calendar for the late season; after a major championship campaign like that, many top athletes manage recovery carefully before accepting exhibition or invitational races.

Femke Bol: Recent performance and schedule

Femke Bol has likewise had a big 2025. The Dutch star defended and added to her trophy case over the season, retaining top honors in the 400mH at major championships and turning in strong Diamond League outings across the summer. Bol began her 2025 season with two relay golds at the European Indoor Championships, and continued to rack up points as the Diamond League made its way across the globe. Her incredible form culminated at the World Championships, which she finished with one gold, one silver, and one bronze.

Bol has openly expressed disappointment in the past when scheduling quirks have prevented the headline hurdle clashes fans crave. She even specifically noted missing a showdown with McLaughlin-Levrone at certain championships, but her season priorities (championships, relays, Diamond League commitments) and recovery windows after late-season travel typically shape whether she’ll accept invitational dates.

Confirmed athletes for Athlos NYC 2025

The 2024 edition of the event was certainly a joy to watch. While the entertainment side of things was a nice touch, at the end of the day, it was the athletes who remained the stars of the show. Naturally, this year, it seemed like more female athletes from around the world wanted to be a part of the spectacle. So, who are some of the stars you’d want to keep an eye out for this weekend?

Marileidy Paulino (Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champ from the Dominican Republic), Brittany Brown (Olympic and World Championships medalist and 2x Diamond league gold medalist), Faith Kipyegon (Kenyan middle-distance legend, 3x Olympic gold medalist, 5x World Championships gold medalist), Jessica Hull (Olympic medalist runner from Australia), Marie Josee Ta Lou-Smith, Tara Davis-Woodhall (Olympic gold medalist long jumper and hurder), and Masai Russell (2024 Olympic gold medalist) have all been confirmed for Athlos NYC 2025.

Will Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Femke Bol race in Athlos NYC 2025?

With Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s poor 2025 season failing to make the fans bestow her with the GOAT title, many had hoped she would show up at Icahn Stadium to silence the haters. But that seems like wishful thinking as of now. So, will McLaughlin-Levrone and Bol be there to increase the razzmatazz for this year’s Athlos?

Not as things stand. There is no official announcement from Athlos adding either Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone or Femke Bol to the Oct. 10 lineup, and neither athlete appears on the meet’s published roster. The absence means they are not currently scheduled to race at Athlos NYC 2025. However, because Athlos has added names mid-season in the past and because elite athletes sometimes take late invitations, a last-minute confirmation remains possible, but it would need to come from Athlos or the athletes’ teams to be definitive. There goes another chance of seeing the two of them cross paths after their less-than-thrilling meet-up in Paris last year.

Athlos NYC 2025 promises a night of electric, women-only competition in New York’s Icahn Stadium, anchored by announced Olympians and the meet’s signature festival atmosphere. While both Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Femke Bol remain two of the sport’s biggest draws, neither is on Athlos’ published roster as of the event’s current announcements. But do keep checking the official Athlos channels for the definitive word!