Last Friday’s Athlos NYC showcase in New York City could be summed up as a party where a few people ran track (and long jumped).
Alexis Ohanian and a small army of organizers seemed to roll out a checklist of features that felt like upgrades over an already notable first effort last September at the same venue, Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island.
Tons of lights. A stage. DJ pumping music all night.
The crowd dancing. VIP area jammed with celebrities. Ciara performing her hits.
Serena Williams handing out Tiffany crowns. Legends of the sport in attendance.
A red carpet entrance. Tons of TV production crew (and security).
And don’t forget the sponsors and partners.
It’s clear that the formula for this format is working even if a casual bean counter could see that the event cost a small fortune to produce as Ohanian, an outsider in the sport, plays a long-ish game that has reeled in big names ready to compete at the end of an exhausting season.
Ending the year in New York City is the added bonus and Brittany Brown came into Friday’s meet knowing what to expect — and knowing what she already did at the same event.
Brown turned heads at the first Athlos production when she stunned Gabby Thomas, the face of the event, with a 22.18 in the 200m. Thomas clocked 22.21 while Brown raked in $85,000 for the win along with a second place finish in the 100m.
Already an experienced — and rising — talent, Brown, 30, showed up at the event with 200m accolades that included a world championship sliver in 2019, bronze at the Paris Olympics in 2024 and Diamond League gold the same year.
For Brown, the 2020 Athlos showcase proved to be extremely lucrative, as her win in the 200m and second place finish in the 100m were worth $85,000.
By doubling events, she knew the extra work would pay off.
But Brown’s wins also shed another spotlight on track and field’s flagging paydays as Diamond League cash prizes were $10,000 per win for athletes willing to hop from cities like Oslo, Doha, Silesia, Brussels, London or Shanghai. For Americans, the Prefontaine Classic is the lone Diamond League stop in the United States, so travel abroad is a must to chase wins — and their associated rewards.
The $85,000 Brown won at Athlos in 2024 was a mix of clearly wanting to win — prize money high enough to entice (and not refuse) for competitors and show other marquee names who did not participate in the all-women event that Ohanian’s event was legit even though he held little name recognition in the sport.
This year was supposed to be different coming off of an Olympic campaign with a stacked calendar that included the upstart Grand Slam Track, busy Diamond League schedule and world championships in Tokyo. There was plenty to choose from for athletes who either wanted to stockpile time competing of those starting the season late with a final push for world championships.
But for Brown it was more than different.
While many injured athletes use their recovery time building back to a point where they can simply practice again, Brown spent an early chunk of the year recovering from endometriosis treatments.
“I got surgery way in December so I didn’t start training until a lot later,” Brown said. “So I kinda peaked at the end. We missed out on a lot of training this year because of my surgery.”
Laparoscopic surgery in late 2024 meant building back up to a point where she was at a level to take on her peers in the sport. Core stabilization exercises were only a part of her recovery and she had to find other routes toward salvaging her season since she finished fourth in the women’s 200m at USA Track and Field’s outdoor championships. Brown and Thomas both finished the race in 22.20, but Thomas got the third — and final — spot for a shot at worlds.
Brown needed another route.
She was open about barely making Team USA’s world championship squad that racked up golds and led the medal haul in Tokyo last month.
And that came in the form of a Diamond League wild qualifier in the women’s 200m in the Zurich finale to be among the 141 American shipped to World Athletics’ showcase at Japan National Stadium.
“The U.S. team is so hard to make,” she said. “It’s nice that we had another opportunity to make it. It was stressful at the Diamond League final. Maybe I thrive under stressful situations. But I pulled out the bag with that one.”
Brown navigated her way through the heats and finished sixth in the 200m final in 22.54. The effort in Zurich got her close enough but she faded as teammate Melissa Jefferson-Wooden’s flawless season got another win on the world stage.
“I didn’t win at worlds — I got sixth,” she said. “I ran the slowest I ever ran in the final.”
But New York City and Athlos was still waiting and on Friday she did the math that meant it was time to cash in on what she decoded in the first showcase last year.
Brown doubled again and this time she won both races bolted to a 10.99 in the 100m and 21.89 in the 200m.
The wins came with two Tiffany & Co. crowns that were presented on stage by Serena Williams, a $120,000 combined payday (with an instant payout via CashApp, an event partner) and a lesson on the economics of the sport.
“I thrive off of this,” Brown said. Maybe it’s just the environment that brings it out of me.”
She wanted world championship gold and glory in Tokyo and came up short. But a win there would have been a $70,000 prize for a single event after qualifying heats.
Brown’s Athlos payday exceeds that and she leaves New York City knowing the money is already in her possession before she boards a flight back home.
“Not only was I crowned but I was compensated well,” she said. “All of those things add up. Every season gold looks differently — and it looked different for me this year. I’m happy to showcase that. Obviously I didn’t win at worlds and I barely made the team. This year I got crowed still and I just got a PR.”
Her late season surge paid off and others are likely silently watching by virtue of the Athlos bold strategy of showing viewers — and athletes — what they are missing out on.
For fans, they can buy a ticket and join what is literally a party at the track and current track and field headliners like Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone can see the red carpet promotion Thomas got last year and how Tara Davis-Woodhall slid into position as the face of Athlos this year to boost her profile and the spot.
On the table are bigger paydays, appearance fees, potential world record bonuses, an overload on social media cache and a front row look at a crossover moment for the sport — at least for the women.
Brown recognized that table and arrived ready to work on Friday, walked the red carpet with a red top and skirt that made a bold statement and quickly changed for races she would later win.
