“EXCITED!”- Gabby Thomas, Masai Russell, Nikki Hiltz & others show anticipation for Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian’s Athlos

Gabby Thomas, Masai Russell, Alexis Holmes, Nikki Hiltz expressed their excitement ahead of Athos NYC, launched by Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian. This is the second edition of the event, with all the finals (100m hurdles, long jump, 100m, 200m, 400m, mile and 800m) on October 10 at Icahn Stadium in New York City.

Meanwhile, the qualifications for the long jump event will be taking place a day before on October 9 at Times Square.

Ahead of the event, many prominent athletes who will be competing this season were asked to describe how they were feeling about Athlos in one word. In a post shared by Athlos on Instagram, one can find how the athletes responded.

Masai Russell, the Paris Olympics 100m hurdles gold medalist, reacted:

“EXCITED!”

Nikki Hiltz, who represented the USA at the Worlds in the 1500m, added:

“Party”

Alaysha Johnson also joined in, reacting:

“Pumpeddddddd”

Alexis Holmes also responded, saying:

“Energized”

Meanwhile, Gabby Thomas, who will be missing the Athlos NYC this season due to injury, also posted a story about a pub throwing an official Watch party to cheer on the athletes competing at the World Athletics event.

She reacted to this, adding:

“Yay!! Swing by if you’re watching Athlos from Austin”

Screenshot of Thomas’ Instagram story. Credits - gabbythomas

At the last edition of Athlos, the 28-year-old, however, finished second over the 200m, behind her compatriot Brittany Brown.

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Gabby Thomas announces withdrawal from World Athletics Championships and concludes her 2025 track season

Gabby Thomas at USATF Outdoor Championships 2025. Source: Getty

Gabby Thomas announced her withdrawal from the World Athletics Championships 2025, which took place in Tokyo, Japan. Thomas had narrowly qualified for the event in the women’s 200m after finishing third at the USA Track and Field Championships.

While many fans speculated that the three-time Olympic champion was not at her best during the USA Championships, she confirmed in a press release ahead of the Worlds that she needed to prioritize her health due to an Achilles injury and decided to opt out of the competition. In her statement, she said:

“I understand that it will be disappointing for some track fans to hear this news, but I’ve finally come to the realization that it’s OK to be human and take care of myself. As an athlete you always want to keep grinding, but sometimes you simply can’t outwork an injury. Sometimes it’s about patience and making the right decision for the long term.”

Additionally, she wished her USA teammates who were set to compete at the World Championships. In the 200m at the Worlds, all four athletes from the USA made it to the finals, with Melissa Jefferson-Wooden winning the gold medal. Anavia Battle, Brittany Brown and McKenzie Long bagged 4th, 6th and 8th positions respectively.

Edited by Abhiruchi Rout