After Giving Gabby Thomas Over $100,000, Alexis Ohanian Shares Her Thoughts on the Sha’Carri Richardson Debate
Is it Sha’Carri Richardson or Gabby Thomas?Well, it looks like the argument may finally be settled! While the tennis world and venture entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian are still debating which of these stars is better, Serena Williams’ husband has addressed the issue with his own perspective. The Reddit co-founder is keen to stop the comparison after that.
Ohanian attempted to clarify his position on the Thomas-Richardson scandal in a recent post on X. Alexis made it plain by sharing a post by The Erin Brown asking track enthusiasts to choose between Gabby Thomas and Sha’Carri to market their brands with limited finances.
that neither athlete would be singled out for criticism if they were selected for the task. Without sugarcoating it, Ohanian stated bluntly, “There is only one right response—BOTH.”
Following up on his pre-Games pledge, Harvard graduate Thomas is expected to receive over $100,000 in cash from Ohanian following his triple gold medal performance at the Paris Olympics. “And to the 36 women participating in my @athlos NYC event on September 26 for a chance to win a record-breaking $60K as the top prize—I’ll also give you $60K if you take home a gold medal in #Paris2024💪.” Gabby Thomas earned an incredible $180,000 after winning three gold medals at the just ended Olympics in Paris!
However, it appears that he is fully aware that undervaluing Sha’Carri is also a bad idea.
For example, Alexis Ohanian never hesitates to advocate for the rights of women, especially female athletes. With its enormous prize fund, his grandiose concept Athlos (formerly 776 Invitational) is expected to be the competition that transforms women’s sports. The forthcoming event, scheduled for September 26, will award $60,000 to the winners, with $25,000 going to the runner-up and $10,000 to the second runner-up, thanks to more than $30 million in investments already secured. The prize money is far more than what the Diamond League offers ($30,000 to the winner, $12,000 to the runner-up and $7,000 to the third place finisher) in its championship event.
Ohanian’s efforts will act as a massive boost for track and field events, which is notorious for underpaying athletes. One such heartbreaking incident recently came to light when US discus player Veronica Fraley, admitted her trouble paying rent on social media:“I compete in the Olympic Games TOMORROW and can’t even pay my rent. My school only sent about 75% of my rent while they pay football players (who haven’t won anything) enough to buy new cars and houses.” Shortly after she posted about the ordeal, rapper Flavor Flav and the Reddit co-founder came forward and paid around $7,500 each.
Given these kinds of situations and the big prize money, track fans are understandably excited to follow the athletes competing in the competition. One of the first celebrities to be added to the Athlos event list was Gabby Thomas. In addition, Sha’Carri, the current world champion in the women’s 100 meters, was said to compete in Ohanian’s competition later this year. Alexis will undoubtedly take the brunt of the criticism for including both celebrities in his movie, but Thomas appears to be over the drama as well.
