University of Oregon alum Alaysha Johnson is staring at the biggest moment of her career. The 28-year-old hurdler has secured her place in the women’s 100m hurdles final at the Paris Olympics after running a swift 12.34 seconds and winning the semis. Naturally, with the ultimate prize beckoning, a few extra cheerleaders in the stand wouldn’t go amiss for the athlete who has a 0.01-second lead over the defending Olympic champ going into the finals.
However, having all of your fans in the same place across the pond isn’t something many athletes could do at the 33rd Olympics. With the high cost of things, even athletes like Kenny Bednarek have complained that they’re finding it difficult to bring their families to Paris with them. However, for Johnson, an unexpected savior has stepped up.
Alaysha Johnson’s wish comes true before the last run at the Paris Olympics
In her post on X from earlier today, Alaysha made a sincere request to anyone who was willing to hear. “If anybody wants to buy me 8 tickets so my family can watch me run then I’d love yall,” wrote the athlete in her post. She adorned her plea with an emoji that would probably underscore how silly even she feels about asking. She went on to alert the unwary that tickets from the US to Paris are going for about $500 apiece, and people shouldn’t just walk into her words without knowing the catch. However, it seems like her earnest words haven’t fallen on deaf ears.
Minutes after Alaysha’s request, Alexis Ohanian, tennis icon Serena Williams’ husband and Reddit co-founder, came forward, assuring Johnson that he would see to it that she got what she wanted. “got you. @athlos account will handle,” replied Ohanian to the track star as he tagged his own camp to get things done. Just days ago, Ohanian made the news after he agreed to pay the rent for track star Veronica Fraley a day before her Paris Olympics debut. And now, it looks like Alexis has come through again to aid those who need it on the grandest stage of them all.
Athlos is an ambitious project by the venture capitalist that seeks to usher in a new era for women’s athletics. With Ohanian promising that Athlos (or 776 Invitational) will be a unique tournament, it looks like the team is making sure every female athlete benefits from its activities. While it remains to be seen if Johnson returns the gesture in September, Alexis’ dream is shaping up nicely already!
Alexis Ohanian channeling all his resources into setting the bar higher
Some of the best female talents from the US and around the world are expected to make the inaugural edition of the Athlos tournament a success. From the freshly-crowned Olympic champion Gabby Thomas to British hurdler Annie Tagoe and 2024 Olympic gold medalist Julien Alfred, the imminent confluence of the stars is dazzling the eyes of fans with its lineup. Moreover, track celebrity Sha’Carri Richardson is also heavily speculated to show up at the tournament, which could offer some redemption from the narrow miss she had to endure in the City of Love at the women’s 100m final. While Ohanian is roping in some massive names from the track community for his tournament, he’s also making sure the stars’ time is made to be worth it.
The 776 Invitational will offer $60,000 prize money to gold medalists, while second and third-place finishers are expected to receive $25,000 and $10,000, respectively. Ohanian has also revealed that the project has already amassed a fund of $30 million from investors. Along with upping the game by introducing an event that will give six times the prize money as the Diamond League, Alexis is also heavily involved in improving women’s sports through other channels as well. The tennis legend’s husband is one of the biggest shareholders of the women-majority-owned Angel City FC and has previously noted that he has an “aim to elevate the profile of female athletes and create a more inclusive and equitable sporting landscape.“
