The 'F1 of athletics'? Athlos announces London debut

The 'F1 of athletics'? Athlos announces London debutImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Great Britain's Keely Hodgkinson was among the event winners to be presented with a crown by Serena Williams at Athlos in 2025ByHarry PooleBBC Sport journalistPublished3 minutes agoThe all-female track meet Athlos will head to London for the first time in 2026 as it expands to a two-day event - and its founder hopes the competition can become the "Formula 1 of track and field".Created by Alexis Ohanian, Reddit co-founder and husband of tennis' 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams, Athlos will also be held in New York for a third consecutive year.In addition to a prize pot of $2.1m (£1.5m), athletes will be offered equity in the league - the idea being that they will be rewarded if it is successful.American stars Sha'Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas, Tara Woodhall-Davis, Masai Russell and Dominican sprinter Marileidy Paulino have so far been confirmed for the events at the StoneX Stadium in Barnet, home of rugby union side Saracens, on 18 September and the Icahn Stadium in New York two weeks later."I've long been very obsessed with this 'F1 for track and field' analogy. We come to expect the fastest cars in the world to tour the greatest global cities, and for people to come out and watch and celebrate this excellence," Ohanian told BBC Sport."I envision Athlos to be a version of that and, as we grow this league, I'd love to add more cities and make Athlos truly global."Whatever we do, we're going to do it with our athletes as partners - but our ambition is big. I don't see any reason why Athlos can't be a mainstay of the sporting calendar."'We get a share in what we're helping to build'The financial difficulties encountered by Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track in its inaugural season last year have been well-documented, but Ohanian says he is deter...