“I am human,” Sha’Carri Richardson had Confessed back in 2021 after she was disqualified from the Tokyo Olympics for testing positive for marijuana. In the sporting world, where failing a drug test leads to an instant rejection of an athlete from the fans, Sha’Carri’s instance stood apart. Probably the humane side of the story struck a chord with many when she stated that after losing her biological mother, “I didn’t know how to control my emotions.” Among those was Serena Williams’ husband and Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian who came across this confession that Sha’Carri made in an interview with Today in 2021. Instantly, Ohanian could relate that to one of his losses, revealed the entrepreneur recently.

It was when Alexis Ohanian was on his quest to launch Reddit. He lost his mother ahead of the big move. In a recent interview with the Washington Post, Ohanian could not help but place that on a similar pedestal to that of Sha’Carri’s crisis. “In that moment, I felt like, wow, I can really empathize with this person,” Ohanian recalled his first reaction. His empathy made him go a little beyond the barrier when he stated, “I was like, she can smoke all the w**d she wants. She was dealing with some serious s**t.” Interestingly, Ohanian’s emotional encounter gave way to a bigger attachment.

He not only became an admirer of Sha’Carri Richardson but also the sport as a whole. He delved into the finer details of track and field. A careful consideration of the sport made him think, “At some point, I was like, wait, this is just like women’s soccer. I was like, ‘How is this is a sport people only care about in America once every four years?’ It doesn’t make sense.” So he went on a quest to make the sport meaningful for the athletes. That ultimately culminated in the recent announcement of a women-only track meet with the largest prize pool on record. Interestingly, it again brought Ohanian on the same path as Sha’Carri Richardson.

Alexis Ohanian aligns himself with Sha’Carri Richardson’s cause 

Sha’Carri has been continuously vocal about compensation issues of the athlete. A few months back, she even dared to take a direct dig at USATF saying that money donated by the enthusiasts does not reach the athletes who need it the most. With the freshly announced 776 Invitational event, set to take place in September, Alexis Ohanian seemed to have tried to address this very issue.

In the proposed event, athletes will fight for a total prize pool of at least $500,000, with $60,000 going to first place, $25,000 to second, and $10,000 to third. The number of events has yet to be decided. It sits more than most of the meets at present. But Ohanian is very clear about his intent here. It is not a mere charity for him. He is steadfast in his support for the sport and women rank very high on his agenda.

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“First and foremost, I’m here because I think it is great, and I invest in greatness. If it just so happens it inspires a generation of young girls, awesome. I want to keep investing across all these elements of sport, and the women’s game continues to be where there’s tremendous upside,” Ohanian stated. His effort resonates with Sha’Carri Richardson and Noah Lyles, who have been continuously talking about the recognition of the sport and the athletes. His concern about track and field suffering from a lack of traction apart from the Olympic years is exactly what Noah Lyles had pointed out some time back. But is Alexis Ohanian’s touch only for track and field?

Ohanian has a somewhat cryptic reply. “I’m not a small thinker. We’re trying to be ambitious here, but one at a time. If this goes as well as I think it will, and folks show up and show out the way I know they will, this won’t be the last.” We wait with our fingers crossed!